Somali Piracy: Indian Navy Frees Iranian Crew After 48-Hour Operation
Twelve suspected pirates were captured and released in Puntland while the vessel Azini was secured in the Arabian Sea.
By Austin Reed ·
The crew of an Iranian fishing vessel is back on board after Indian naval forces completed a rescue operation in the Arabian Sea on Monday. The ship, named Azini, had been held for four days after being hijacked on October 29 between the Somali ports of Bandar Bayla and Hafun. Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh confirmed the rescue took place more than 3,000 kilometers from Mumbai.
Indian forces tracked the vessel using a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft, and marine commandos. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos to assist in the operation. The Defense Ministry stated the mission lasted over 48 hours and ended without casualties or injuries, though it did not clarify if that count included the security guards or only the rescued crew.
A Puntland Maritime Police Force official told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates. The officials confiscated the suspects' mobile phones and released them. The 12 pirates and two Somali security guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia. Three individuals reported minor injuries, but the official did not specify whether they were pirates or guards or how they were hurt.
Regional authorities in Puntland learned of the rescue only after it was finished. A Puntland maritime police officer noted on Sunday that the vessel carried 21 Iranian crew members and two security guards. India reported freeing 20 crew members, a difference that could not immediately be explained.
The hijacking is part of a resurgence in Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April. One of these was the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 252 kilometers east of al-Mukalla, Yemen. In September, pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered it.
Shipping risks in the region have increased due to the ongoing Iran war and threats from Yemen's Houthi rebels against Saudi-linked shipping. These disruptions have forced some oil shipments to divert around Africa, adding up to a month to voyage times and raising tanker costs. International patrols have reduced Somali piracy in the past decade, but recent events have renewed concerns about the threat.
