Indian Commandos Retake Hijacked Iranian Fishing Boat Off Somalia, Freeing 20 Crew
A 48-hour operation involving a warship, a surveillance aircraft and airdropped marines ended the seizure of the Azini, as Somali piracy surges amid the Iran war.
Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 that had been hijacked off Somalia, after an operation lasting more than 48 hours, India's Defense Ministry said Tuesday. The rescue of the vessel, called the Azini, was completed Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said.
The operation involved a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft and marine commandos, according to the ministry. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos. Indian forces tracked the vessel by sea and air before securing it. The ministry said the operation ended without casualties or injuries, though it did not specify whether that covered everyone aboard or only the rescued crew.
A Puntland Maritime Police Force official told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them. The suspects and two Somali security guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia, the official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to brief the media. Three of those who came ashore had minor injuries, but he did not say whether they were suspects or guards, or how they were hurt.
The Azini was hijacked Oct. 29 between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. A Puntland maritime police officer said Sunday that it carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards, a difference from India's figure of 20 rescued crew that could not immediately be explained. It was also unclear whether the crew remained on the vessel or had been moved elsewhere. Puntland authorities learned of the rescue only after it had taken place, the official said.
India's ministry said there had been concern that the pirates could use the fishing boat as a floating base for attacks on commercial ships. That tactic has been central to Somali piracy for years: a hijacked fishing vessel can carry attackers far from shore to approach larger targets.
The hijacking follows a resurgence of piracy across the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, some far from Somalia's coast. They included the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 252 kilometers (136 nautical miles) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen. In September, Puntland authorities said pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered it. The tanker had been held since April, and authorities detained 16 suspected pirates.
The renewed piracy adds to shipping risks in a region already disrupted by the Iran war. Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi-linked shipping through Bab el-Mandeb have complicated oil transport routes, lengthening voyages and driving up tanker costs. Some oil shipments diverted around Africa face journeys up to a month longer. International naval patrols and improved maritime security sharply reduced Somali piracy over the past decade, but the recent hijackings have renewed concerns that the threat is returning.
