Indian Navy foils bid to hijack Iranian fishing vessel, rescues 17 crew members

Tribune News Service

Ajay Banerjee

New Delhi, January 29

Seventeen persons on board a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel have been rescued by the Indian Navy.

The naval warship INS Sumitra, deployed for anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding hijacking of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel Iman.

The fishing vessel had been boarded by pirates and the crew taken as hostages.

The INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel, acted in accordance with the established standard operating procedures to coerce the pirates for safe release of crew along with the boat.

“All 17 crew members, along with the boat, have been released,” the Navy said.

The fishing vessel was subsequently ‘sanitised’ and released for its onward transit.

In the past eight weeks, the Indian Navy has deployed nearly 12 warships doing patrol duty to keep the economically vital sea-going trade safe from pirates and from attacks by Houthi-rebels based out of Yemen.

At the start of December last year, the Navy had two warships out in the Arabian Sea for anti-piracy duties. Each of the ships is carrying helicopters and is connected via satellite to the operations rooms of the Navy. All equipment to launch an attack or thwart it is on board. Teams of Marine commandos are also on board.

The fleet of maritime surveillance planes, the Boeing P8I and the Predator drones are on duty for constant surveillance from air. They scan the area and flag all vessels that could raise suspicion.

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