Indian Navy rescues 19 Pakistani sailors kidnapped by Somali pirates in Arabian Sea

Indian warship INS Sumitra carried out another successful anti-piracy operation off the East Coast of Somalia, rescuing 19 Pakistani sailors from and their fishing vessel Al Naeemi from 11 Somali Pirates on Monday.

This was the second anti-piracy operation carried out by Indian Naval Ship (INS) Sumitra after it responded to an SOS call from another fishing vessel on Sunday.

“INS Sumitra was again pressed into action, to locate and intercept another Iranian flagged fishing vessel Al Naeemi, which had been boarded by pirates and her Crew (19 Pakistani Nationals) taken hostage. Responding swiftly to the developing situation Sumitra intercepted the FV (fishing vessel) on PM 29 Jan 24 and through coercive posturing and effective deployment of her integral helo and boats compelled the safe release of the crew and the vessel,” the Indian Navy said.

“The ship also undertook confirmatory boarding to sanitise and also to check on the well-being of the crew who were held captive by the Somali pirates,” the Indian Navy added.

INS Sumitra rescues 36 crew from two hijacked vessels

According to a statement issued by the Indian Navy, INS Sumitra, over the course of less than 36 hours, through swift, persistent and relentless efforts has rescued two hijacked Fishing Vessels along with 36 Crew (17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani) in Southern Arabian Sea approximately 850 nm West of Kochi, and prevented misuse of these Fishing Vessels as Mother Ships for further acts of Piracy on Merchant Vessels.

#INSSumitra Carries out 2nd Successful #AntiPiracy Ops – Rescuing 19 Crew members & Vessel from Somali Pirates.
Having thwarted the Piracy attempt on FV Iman, the warship has carried out another successful anti-piracy ops off the East Coast of Somalia, rescuing Fishing Vessel Al… https://t.co/QZz9bCihaU pic.twitter.com/6AonHw51KX

— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 30, 2024

"The Indian Navy has once again proved its commitment in the region to act against all maritime threats in order to ensure safety of all mariners and vessels at sea," the statement added.

INS Sumitra is Indian Navy’s indigenous Offshore Patrol Vessel.

Earlier on Monday the Indian Navy said, INS Sumitra was deployed for Anti-Piracy and Maritime Security Operations East of Somalia and Gulf of Aden. The warship on PM 28 Jan 24 had responded to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman, which had been boarded by pirates and the crew taken as hostages. The FV was intercepted by INS Sumitra and following the SOPs and coercive posturing the vessel and her Crew (17 Iranian Nationals) were safely rescued in the early hours of 29 Jan 24. FV Iman was sanitised and released for onward transit.

The Indian Navy has significantly increased its surveillance apparatus in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden after several merchant vessels have been targeted by Iran-backed Yemen's Houthi terrorists in the Red Sea with missiles and drones following the Israel-Hamas war which began on 7 October, 2023.

The Indian Navy has deployed frontline destroyers and frigates in view of the recent attacks on merchant vessels.