The Indian Navy, in a joint operation with the Seychelles Defence Forces and the Sri Lanka Navy, successfully intercepted and rescued a vessel hijacked by Somali pirates.
The incident is the latest in a series of attacks on cargo vessels, including piracy and missile or drone strikes in the Arabian Sea in solidarity with Palestinians killed in the Israel-Hamas War. In the last two days, the Indian Navy has thwarted at least two attacks by Somali pirates.
In a coordinated multilateral response to the hijacking of a #SriLankan fishing vessel, the #IndianNavy in collaboration with @SeyDefence & @srilanka_navy successfully intercepted & rescued the hijacked vessel.
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 30, 2024
Sri Lankan flagged multi-day fishing trawler #LorenzoPutha04, 955 nm… pic.twitter.com/vzQHyntaIw
Rescue Operation for Hijacked Sri Lankan Ship
According to a statement issued by the Indian Navy, the incident was reported onboard the Sri Lankan-flagged multi-day fishing vessel “LORENZO PUTHA 04, about 955 nm east of Mogadishu, Somalia.” Three pirates boarded and hijacked the fishing vessel on 27 January.
On 28 January, the Navy deployed the INS Sharda and tasked HALE Sea Guardian with detecting and intercepting the hijacked fishing vessel. “Additionally, efficient operational coordination and Information Sharing through the Sri Lanka and Seychelles International Liaison Officers at IFC IOR, New Delhi, resulted in the interception of the hijacked fishing vessel by SCGS Topaz in Seychelles EEZ on 29 January,” the statement read.
During the rescue mission, the Indian Navy reported that at least three pirates surrendered to the Seychelles Coast Guard. All six crew members were safe, and the ship was then escorted to Mahe, Seychelles.
The Indian Navy formed the IFC-IOR (Information Fusion Centre-Indian Ocean Region) in 2018 to monitor shipping traffic and other vital developments in the region effectively through a collaborative framework with like-minded countries.
India’s Anti-Piracy Operations
The rescue expedition of the Sri Lankan ship marked the Indian Navy’s third successful anti-piracy operation in three days. According to an official statement released on Tuesday, the Indian Navy conducted two anti-piracy operations in the Arabian Sea off Somalia, rescuing two hijacked fishing vessels along with 36 crew members.
#INSSumitra Carries out 2nd Successful #AntiPiracy Ops – Rescuing 19 Crew members & Vessel from Somali Pirates.
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 30, 2024
Having thwarted the Piracy attempt on FV Iman, the warship has carried out another successful anti-piracy ops off the East Coast of Somalia, rescuing Fishing Vessel Al… https://t.co/QZz9bCihaU pic.twitter.com/6AonHw51KX
The Navy stated that the INS Sumitra, which was deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations east of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, recovered crew members from two hijacked vessels.
In an anti-piracy operation off the East Coast of Somalia, the fishing vessel Al Naeemi and her crew of 19 Pakistanis were rescued from 11 Somali pirates, the Navy said.
On Sunday, it responded to a distress message on the hijacking of the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel (FV) Iman. “The FV was intercepted by INS Sumitra and following the SOPs(Standard operating procedure) and coercive posturing, the vessel and her crew (17 Iranian Nationals) were safely rescued in the early hours of 29 Jan,” the statement read.
Last week, the Indian Navy’s guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call from the British oil tanker MV Marlin Luanda, which had been hit by a missile launched by Iran-backed Houthi rebels in Yemen, and offered immediate aid to the vessel carrying 22 Indians. The Indian Navy confirmed that the warship’s Nuclear Biological Chemical Defence and Damage Control (NBCD) team and firefighting equipment were deployed to assist the crew in boosting the firefighting efforts on board the damaged vessel.
Furthermore, nearly 10 to 12 warships are now deployed in the Arabian Sea, including the INS Kochi, INS Mormugao, INS Kolkata, INS Chennai, and a Talwar-class frigate. The Navy’s P8I maritime patrol aircraft, MQ-9B predator drones, and Dornier aircraft are also conducting enhanced surveillance in the region, and the force is actively investigating vessels in the Arabian Sea, including boarding dhows.