National Desk, 30th March: The Indian Navy on Friday successfully rescued a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel along with its 23 Pakistani crew members after conducting over 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures in an anti-piracy operation.
Following the operation, the vessel is currently undergoing sanitization and seaworthiness checks by Indian naval specialist teams before being escorted to a safe area to resume fishing activities. The hijacked vessel, which was boarded by nine armed pirates, was intercepted on Thursday by INS Sumedha and later joined by guided missile frigate INS Trishul. Eventually, the pirates surrendered, and the crew was safely rescued.
At the time of the incident, the vessel was approximately 90 nm southwest of Socotra. The Indian Navy reiterated its commitment to maritime security and the safety of seafarers, irrespective of their nationality.
Indian Navy Chief, Admiral R Hari Kumar, had earlier stated the Navy’s intent to take affirmative action for a safer Indian Ocean Region, emphasizing anti-piracy and other maritime security operations under ‘Op Sankalp’. Within a 100-day period of this operation, 110 lives, including 45 Indians and 65 foreign nationals, were saved.
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