The spokesperson said on Tuesday that the Indian Navy’s warship INS Sumitra has conducted a second successful anti-piracy operation in which it rescued 19 crew members and a vessel from armed Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea. The INS Sumitra stopped the piracy attempt on FV Iman off Somalia’s east coast, saving fishing vessel Al Naeemi and 19 Pakistani citizens from 11 Somali pirates, the spokesperson stated on social media X (formally X).
The operation took place following the successful rescue of the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Iman from Somali pirates on Sunday night by the INS Sumitra. The crew consisted of 17 members. The actions were part of the ship’s anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.
The Indian Navy stated that its warship INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and used established SOPs to force the pirates into releasing the crew and the boat safely and that all 17 crew members were successfully released along with the boat. “INS Sumitra, post rescuing MV Iman, was again pressed into action to locate & intercept another Iranian flagged FV which had been boarded by pirates and her Crew taken hostage,” the Indian Navy stated on Tuesday.
#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
Reacting quickly to the developing trouble, the INS Sumitra “intercepted the FV on PM 29 Jan 24 & through coercive posturing & effective deployment of her integral helo & boats compelled the safe release of the crew and the vessel”.
It added, “This rescue of hijacked Vessels, through swift, persistent and relentless efforts by Mission Deployed Indian Navy warship in the Southern Arabian Sea approx 850 nm West of Kochi, also prevents misuse of Fishing Vessels as Mother Ships for further acts of Piracy on Merchant Vessels.”