An Indian naval ship, NS Sumitra, has rescued 19 Pakistani fishermen after pirates hijacked their vessel off the coast of Somalia in the Arabian Sea, marking the second anti-piracy mission by the warship in 36 hours.Pirates storm Iranian fishing boat, take crew hostageIranian-flagged fishing boat Al Naeemi was boarded Monday by 11 armed pirates who took its 19 Pakistani crew members hostage. Indian warship INS Sumitra soon intercepted the hijacked vessel and forced the pirates to free the captives unharmed.Through “swift, persistent and relentless efforts,” naval personnel compelled the pirates to safely release the hostages and fishing boat, the Indian Navy said. Boarding teams then checked on the welfare of the shaken but relieved Pakistani sailors.Responding swiftly to the developing situation Sumitra intercepted the FV (fishing vessel) on PM 29 Jan 24 and through coercive posturing and effective deployment of her integral helo and boats compelled the safe release of the crew and the vessel, the Navy said in a statementBack-to-back anti-piracy rescuesIt was the second dramatic hostage rescue in two days by the indigenous INS Sumitra, which is deployed specifically for anti-piracy and maritime security east of Somalia.On Sunday, the warship responded to a distress call from another Iranian fishing boat whose 17 crew members were abducted by Somali pirates. All sailors were successfully recovered in that operation as well.INS Sumitra, over the course of less than 36 hours, through swift, persistent and relentless efforts has rescued two hijacked Fishing Vessels along with 36 Crew (17 Iranian and 19 Pakistani) in the Southern Arabian Sea approximately 850 nm West of Kochi, and prevented misuse of these Fishing Vessels as Mother Ships for further acts of Piracy on Merchant Vessels, the official statement said.#INSSumitra Carries out 2nd Successful #AntiPiracy Ops – Rescuing 19 Crew members & Vessel from Somali Pirates.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— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) January 30, 2024In less than 36 hours, Indian naval forces “prevented misuse” of two pirated Iranian fishing vessels that could have been used to launch further attacks on merchant ships, officers noted.Naval asset protects key shipping laneThe repeated raids spotlight the ongoing threat pirates pose in the Arabian Sea - one of the worlds most critical shipping routes.But the Indian Navy has shown it can respond rapidly to trouble and neutralize pirate gangs attempting to take sailors hostage off the strategic Horn of Africa coastline.The Indian navy had earlier helped extinguish a massive blaze onboard a merchant vessel with its guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam. The vessel was struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden on Saturday nightOfficials said naval patrols act as an effective deterrent while demonstrating the capability to carry out rescue missions anywhere in the western Indian Ocean region if needed.
