India frees Iranian crew from hijacked boat off Somalia
Indian commandos recovered the vessel Azini and 20 crew members after a 48-hour operation, releasing 12 suspected pirates in the process.
By Lucas Collins ·
Indian naval forces ended a standoff that lasted more than 48 hours by rescuing an Iranian fishing boat and its crew from Somali pirates. The Defense Ministry confirmed the operation concluded Tuesday, securing the vessel in the Arabian Sea.
Defense Minister Rajnath Singh stated that the rescue was completed Monday, more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai. The operation deployed a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft, and marine commandos. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos to assist in the recovery.
A Puntland Maritime Police Force official told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates. The pirates, along with two Somali security guards, were released and later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia. Three individuals among that group sustained minor injuries, though the official did not specify who was hurt or how.
India's ministry reported that the operation ended without casualties or injuries, though it did not clarify if that count included the released guards or the pirates. The fate of the crew remains unclear, as the ministry did not state whether they remained on the vessel or were transported elsewhere. Regional authorities learned of the successful rescue only after it was completed.
The Azini was hijacked on Oct. 29 between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. A Puntland maritime police officer said on Sunday that the boat carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards at the time of the attack. India’s official rescue figure listed 20 crew members, a discrepancy that has not been explained.
Indian forces tracked the vessel by sea and air before securing it. The ministry cited concerns that pirates might use the boat as a floating base to attack commercial ships. This incident follows a resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean, where six commercial vessels were hijacked between April and August.
In September, Puntland authorities recovered the tanker MT Honour 25 after pirates killed five crew members. That tanker had been held since April, and authorities detained 16 suspected pirates in that separate incident. These events have added to shipping risks in a region already disrupted by the Iran war and Houthi threats against Saudi-linked shipping.
