In a swift and successful anti-piracy process by maritime prowess, the Indian Navy’s patrol vessel INS Sumitra successfully thwarted another piracy attempt off the east coast of Somalia on Tuesday. This operation comes less than 36 hours after the rescue of an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, marking a swift and effective response to maritime threats.
Rescue of Fishing Vessel Al Naeemi and Crew
The focal point of this latest operation was the rescue of Fishing Vessel Al Naeemi and its 19 Pakistani crew members from the clutches of 11 Somali pirates. INS Sumitra intercepted the distressed vessel, acting in accordance with established Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs). The warship successfully coerced the pirates for the safe release of the crew and the boat, ensuring the well-being of all 19 crew members.
This success follows the rescue on Monday, where INS Sumitra intercepted an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel named Iman, hijacked by pirates along the east coast of Somalia. In that operation, the warship ensured the safe release of all 17 crew members who had been taken hostage by the pirates.
In a related incident on Saturday, January 27 the Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call from a merchant vessel attacked by Houthi militants in the Gulf of Aden. The British oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda, carrying 22 Indian and one Bangladeshi crew members, caught fire after the missile attack.
The Indian Navy released a statement highlighting the swift, persistent, and relentless efforts of INS Sumitra in rescuing two hijacked fishing vessels along with a total of 36 crew members. The vessels were rescued in the southern Arabian Sea, approximately 850 nautical miles west of Kochi. The statement emphasized the prevention of the misuse of these fishing vessels as mother ships for further acts of piracy on merchant vessels.
Increased Surveillance in Response to Regional Threats
This recent success aligns with the Indian Navy’s heightened vigilance in response to the ongoing sequence of drone and pirate attacks in the region. Following attacks by Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi militia targeting merchant vessels in the Red Sea, the Indian Navy has increased its surveillance apparatus in the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden. Frontline destroyers and frigates have been deployed to secure the maritime routes.
INS Sumitra, deployed for anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, has become a symbol of the Indian Navy’s commitment to the safety of vessels and seafarers at sea. The vessel sanitizes the rescued fishing vessels before releasing them for onward transit, ensuring the continuity of maritime activities in the region.
