A swift response by an Indian Navy warship ensured the safe release of all 17 crew members onboard an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel hijacked by pirates, Navy officials said here on Monday. The incident took place 700 nautical miles west of Kochi in the Arabian Sea.

Giving details here, they said the Indian warship INS Sumitra was mission-deployed along the east coast of Somalia and responded immediately to the distress call after the fishing vessel was boarded by some pirates.

“INS Sumitra, on anti-piracy operations along the East Coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden, responded to a distress message regarding the hijacking of an Iranian-flagged Fishing Vessel, Iman. The vessel had been boarded by pirates, and the crew was taken as hostages,” Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.

INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and acted in accordance with the established Standard Operating Procedures (SOP) to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the boat, he said.

It ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members and the boat, the spokesperson said. The vessel was subsequently sanitised and released for onward transit.

“Mission-deployed Indian naval ships on anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean region symbolize the Indian Navy’s resolve towards the safety of all vessels and seafarers at sea,” Madhwal said.

The Red Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea have, in the past few weeks, witnessed some drone and pirate attacks on merchant vessels. The Indian Navy has stepped up surveillance in the troubled region substantially and deployed task groups consisting of around 10 warships in the face of the recent attacks on India-bound merchant vessels.

Recently, Iran-backed Yemen’s Houthi militia has been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7.

The Houthi rebels declared their support for Hamas. Several shipping companies have suspended their operations in the Red Sea following the attacks, which have forced mariners to change course and take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.

On Saturday last, India’s guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call made by a merchant vessel that caught fire after a missile attack reportedly by the Houthis in the Gulf of Aden, with the incident putting the spotlight on the worsening security situation in one of the world’s busiest shipping routes.

The Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda was struck by the Houthi rebels on Friday. The vessel’s crew included 22 Indians and one Bangladeshi.

Another Marshall Islands-flagged merchant vessel, which was recently attacked by a drone in the Gulf of Aden, docked at the Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu on Friday after the Indian Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialists undertook a thorough examination of the ship and declared it safe for port entry.

On January 18, INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call made by MV Genco Picardy after it was attacked. It was carrying a crew of 22, including nine Indians.

The Indian Navy has deployed task groups consisting of around 10 warships in the face of the recent attacks on India-bound merchant vessels, including MV Chem Pluto and MV Saibaba in December.”