Indian naval forces have recovered the Iranian fishing vessel Azini after pirates seized it off Somalia. India’s defence ministry said the operation involved a warship, reconnaissance aircraft and marine commandos. A European maritime security centre separately confirmed the vessel’s liberation. An earlier alert had warned that the hijacked boat could be used to threaten commercial shipping.
Indian naval forces recovered the Iranian fishing vessel Azini from pirates off Somalia, India’s defence ministry announced on 3 November. Naval commandos took part in the rescue of the crew. The European Union’s Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean, which issues maritime security alerts for the region, separately confirmed that anti-piracy military forces had liberated the vessel and closed the incident.[1], [2]
According to the ministry, the operation lasted more than 48 hours. A deployed warship and a maritime reconnaissance aircraft located and tracked the fishing vessel. The ministry said an Indian Air Force transport aircraft delivered additional commandos. Its announcement reported the rescue of 20 crew members. That figure differed from an earlier Associated Press account citing a local maritime police officer; India did not address the discrepancy.[1]
Azini was reportedly seized on 29 October off Somalia’s eastern coast. An earlier maritime security alert said the hijacked boat was approaching a shipping traffic lane. It warned that pirates could use the fishing vessel as a base for further attacks on commercial ships. The subsequent update from the European Union centre confirmed the boat’s liberation.[1]
