Indian Navy yet again came to the rescue of a ship hijacked by pirates and ensured the safe release of its 17-member crew on Monday
Indian Navy’s warship INS Sumitra, deployed along the eastern coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden, successfully rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel that had been hijacked by pirates in the latest attack on shipping within the strategic waters of the Indian Ocean. According to the Indian Navy, the prompt actions by the mission-deployed warship, INS Sumitra, played a crucial role in securing the safe release of the hijacked vessel along with its 17-member crew on Monday.
“INS Sumitra, on anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, Iman. The vessel had been boarded by pirates and the crew taken as hostages,” the Indian Navy stated in a statement. INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel, acted in accordance with the established SOPs to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat and ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat. The fishing vessel was subsequently sanitised and released for onward transit, the statement added.
Deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations, the Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, swiftly responded to a distress call from the British oil tanker, MV Marlin Luanda, on the night of 26 January and rescued it the following day. The vessel had been hit by a suspected Houthi anti-ship missile, resulting in a fire onboard. Over recent months, Houthi militants from Yemen have carried out numerous attacks on merchant ships in the region, targeting vessels linked to Israel. These actions are seen as a response to Israel’s military operations against the Palestinian group Hamas.
Team BharatShakti
