The Indian Navy announced on Monday the successful rescue of a hijacked vessel and the safe release of its crew as part of its ongoing anti-piracy operation along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.
In a statement posted on social media platform X, the Indian Navy spokesperson said that INS Sumitra promptly responded to a distress message concerning the hijacking of the Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel (FV) Iman. Pirates had boarded the FV, taking the crew members hostage.
https://x.com/indiannavy/status/1751900731727372340?s=20
The spokesperson stated: “INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel, acted in accordance with the established SOPs to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat, and ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members along with the boat.” Following the operation, the fishing vessel underwent a sanitization process and was released for onward transit.
This follows a similar operation earlier in January when the Indian Navy successfully rescued all 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, aboard the cargo ship ‘MV Lila Norfolk,’ which had been hijacked near the coast of Somalia.