Indian Navy Foils Somali Pirate Attack, Saves Pakistani, Iranian Crew From Hijacked Ship
The Indian Navy on Friday carried out yet another successful anti-piracy operation and foiled a hijack attempt by Somali pirates along the east coast of Somalia.
The Indian Navy was responding to a distress call by an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel which had a crew of 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals.
Somali pirate hijack Iranian ship
Seven pirates had taken control of the FV Omari on Friday and took the crew hostage.
The Indian Navy mission deployed INS Sharada, a Sukanya class patrol vessel that intercepted the hijacked boat after a remotely piloted aircraft, undertaking surveillance in the area, successfully located FV Omari.
Indian Navy frees ship, crew
"FV Omaril, an Iranian-flagged vessel, had been boarded by seven pirates who had taken the crew as hostages. INS Sharda intercepted the vessel in the early hours of Friday and used her integral helo and boats to coerce the pirates for the safe release of the crew along with the vessel. The ship has ensured the successful release of the 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani crew members," Indian Navy spokesperson Commander Vivek Madhwal said.
"The ship also undertook confirmatory boarding on FV Omari to sanitise and check on the well-being of the crew who had been held captive by the Somali pirates," Madhwal said.
Anti-piracy operation by Navy
"Relentless efforts by Indian Naval platforms, mission deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations, continue to save precious life at sea, symbolising Indian Navy's resolve towards safety of all vessels and seafarers at sea," he said.
Navy warship saves two vessels?
Last week, the Indian Navy's warship INS Sumitra rescued two Iranian-flagged fishing vessels, FV Al Naeemi and FV Iman that were hijacked by Somali pirates within a span of 36 hours.
Recently there has been an increase in piracy activities and drone attacks on ships in the Indian Ocean.
The Indian Navy had on January 5 thwarted an attempted hijacking of Liberian-flagged vessel MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea and rescued all its crew members.
Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off India's west coast on December 23.
Besides MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker that was on the way to India came under a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. The vessel had a team of 25 Indian crew.
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