Indian Navy ship INS Sumitra rescues 19 Pakistanis in anti-piracy operation

Indian warship INS Sumitra rescues 19 Pakistani crew from hijacked fishing vessel attacked by Somali pirates, preventing further piracy.

Indian warship INS Sumitra rescued 19 Pakistani crew of a fishing vessel after their Iranian-flagged fishing vessel was attacked by pirates on the east coast of Somalia, officials said on January 30.

This is the second rescue operation in two days after the ship thwarted a piracy attempt on Iranian fishing vessel Iman on January 29.

“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 Naeemi and her Crew (19 Pakistani Nationals) from 11 Somali Pirates,” the Navy said in a tweet.

The warship INS Sumitra “compelled the safe release” of the 19 Pakistani crew members and the Iranian-flagged Al Naeemi fishing vessel, the spokesman said, saying the rescue took place some 850 nautical miles (1,574 kilometres) west of Kochi. A total of “11 Somali pirates” had taken the crew hostage, the navy said.

This rescue of hijacked Vessels, through swift, persistent and relentless efforts by Mission Deployed Indian Navy warship also prevents misuse of Fishing Vessels as Mother Ships for further acts of Piracy on Merchant Vessels, the Navy added.

Photographs released by the Navy showed commandos boarding the fishing boat at night, then standing with rifles over a group of Somali pirates, the men kneeling at their feet with their hands tied behind their backs on the ship’s deck.

INS Sumitra has been deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the east of Somalia and Gulf of Aden.