An Indian naval warship deployed along the east coast of Somalia in the Gulf of Aden responded to a distress call and rescued an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel after it was hijacked by pirates in the latest attack on shipping in the strategic waters of the Indian Ocean.

Navy officials on Monday said the swift response by the Indian Navy’s mission-deployed warship, INS Sumitra, had ensured the safe release of the hijacked vessel and its 17-member crew.

“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 taken as hostages,” a navy spokesperson, Commander Vivek Madhwal,
said.

INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and acted according to the established SOPs to coerce the pirates into safely releasing the crew and the boat, he said.

“It ensured the successful release of all 17 crew members and the boat,” the spokesperson said.

The vessel was sanitised and released for its onward journey.

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

The Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer, INS Visakhapatnam — deployed in the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy operations — had responded to a distress call from the British oil tanker, MV Marlin Luanda, on the night of January 26 after it was struck by a suspected Houthi anti-ship missile that caused a fire onboard the ship.

Over the past few months, Yemen’s Houthi militants have launched several attacks on merchant vessels in the region, including the Red Sea and parts of the Arabian Sea, targeting Israeli-linked vessels in response to Israel’s military offensive against the Palestinian group Hamas.