The Indian Navy, in collaboration with Seychelles Defence Forces and Sri Lanka Navy, successfully intercepted and rescued a hijacked vessel.
The Indian Navy, in a multilateral joint operation with the Seychelles Defence Forces and the Sri Lanka Navy, intercepted and rescued a Sri Lankan fishing vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates along with its crew members. According to the Indian Navy, three pirates surrendered to the Seychelles Coast Guard, ensuring the safety of all six crew members, and the vessel is currently under escort to Mahe in Seychelles.
A hijacking incident occurred aboard the Sri Lankan-flagged multi-day fishing trawler Lorenzo Putha 4, approximately 955 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia. Three pirates boarded and took control of the fishing trawler on 27 January. Responding to the situation, the Indian Navy dispatched the INS Sharda on 28 January and assigned the HALE Sea Guardian to locate and intercept the hijacked fishing vessel.
“Additionally, efficient operational coordination and information sharing through the Sri Lanka and Seychelles international liaison officers at the Information Fusion Centre, Indian Ocean Region, New Delhi, resulted in the interception of the hijacked fishing vessel by SCGS Topaz in Seychelles Exclusive Economic Zone on 29 January,” the Navy said in a statement.
It marks the Navy’s third successful anti-piracy operation within three days. Earlier today, the Navy reported the rescue of a crew comprising 19 Pakistani nationals from 11 Somali pirates in an operation involving the hijacked fishing vessel Al Naeemi. On Monday, the INS Sumitra successfully thwarted a piracy attempt on the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel FV Iman, ensuring the safe release of its 17 crew members. This incident is part of a series of attacks, both piracy and missile or drone attacks, on commercial vessels in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden since December of the previous year. Notably, last week, the Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker Marlin Luanda was hit by a missile attack.
Around a dozen Indian warships are deployed in the region, including the guided missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Kolkata, INS Chennai, INS Sumatra, INS Sharda and a Talwar-class frigate. The Navy’s surveillance capabilities are further augmented by the deployment of P8I maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9B Predator drones, and Dornier aircraft, intensifying monitoring of the region. The naval force is actively engaged in investigating vessels in the Arabian Sea, including the boarding of dhows as part of their operations.
Team BharatShakti
