Indian Navy Rescues Ship With Iranian and Pakistani Crew From Pirates Off Somali Coast

The Indian Navy thwarted another piracy attempt off the coast of Somalia on Friday after an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel was boarded by 7 pirates who took the crew comprising 11 Iranians and 8 Pakistanis as hostages.

INS Sharda intercepted the FV Omari on February 2 and deployed her helicopter and boats so the pirates would release the vessel and its crew members. This is the fourth ship the Indian Navy has rescued from Somali pirates this week.

The Navy had earlier saved Iranian-flagged vessels, FV Naeemi and FV Iman. It also helped rescue a Sri Lankan fishing trawler in a joint operation with the Seychelles Defence Forces and the Sri Lankan Navy.

A Remotely Piloted Aircraft of the Navy located the vessel, and INS Sharda was diverted to intercept the vessel.

The Indian Navy has proactively engaged with regional and extra-regional navies and other forces to ensure maritime security in and around the Arabian Sea.

It has increased surveillance and deployed task groups of 10 warships to face the increasing threats, including Houthi attacks and the resurgence of Piracy.

The Indian Navy units were deployed off Djibouti, the Gulf of Aden, parts of the Arabian Gulf, and Somalia’s east coast. Additionally, information exchange and intelligence sharing are being undertaken with friendly foreign nations to identify the source of such attacks and incidents.

Helicopters, Coast Guard vessels, P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, and Sea Guardian remotely piloted aircraft are an integral part of these efforts to strengthen maritime security and ensure the safety of commercial ships.

References: India.com, Hindustan Times

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Source: Maritime Shipping News