The Indian Navy warship INS Sumitra successfully thwarted a piracy attempt on the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, Al Naeemi, sailing off the East Coast of Somalia. The operation, conducted on Monday, resulted in the rescue of 19 Pakistani nationals who were on board the distressed vessel. This marks the second rescue operation within a day for the Indian Navy, following the earlier saving of another Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, FV Iman, from Somali pirates.
According to an official statement, INS Sumitra intercepted the distressed vessel and took swift action to locate it. The fishing vessel had been boarded by pirates who had taken 19 Pakistani national crew members hostage. The warship followed established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) to compel the pirates to safely release the crew and the boat. The operation was successful, with all 19 crew members and the vessel safely released.
Following the rescue, INS Sumitra also conducted confirmatory boarding to ensure the well-being of the crew members who had been held captive by the Somali pirates. The Indian Navy emphasized the efficiency of INS Sumitra, stating that within less than 36 hours, the warship, through persistent efforts, rescued two hijacked fishing vessels along with 36 crew members (17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani) in the Southern Arabian Sea.
The Navy further highlighted that these operations prevented the potential misuse of the fishing vessels as Mother Ships for further acts of piracy on merchant vessels. In a separate incident on January 18, the Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam, responded rapidly to a distress call from the Marshall Island-flagged MV Genco Picardy, which had experienced a drone attack on the night of January 17 in the Gulf of Aden. INS Visakhapatnam acknowledged the distress call and intercepted the vessels at midnight on January 18, 2024, providing immediate assistance.