On Tuesday, the Indian Navy announced the successful liberation of a vessel hijacked by pirates off the coast of Somalia, with at least 19 Pakistani nationals on board.
This marks the second operation within a short span, as the Indian Navy also freed an Iranian fishing vessel from the same waters on Monday.
The spokesperson for the Indian Navy, posted on X, reported that the warship INS Sumitra concluded another anti-piracy operation, rescuing the vessel’s 19 Pakistani crew members from 11 Somali pirates.
The vessel had been hijacked by armed Somali pirates off the east coast.
The spokesperson emphasized that these swift and persistent efforts in the Southern Arabian Sea, approximately 850 nautical miles west of Kochi, prevent the misuse of fishing vessels as mother ships for further acts of piracy on merchant vessels.
The context also mentions concerns about increased pirate activity due to the redirection of international naval forces north from the Gulf of Aden, creating a potential security gap. In December, the first successful case of Somali piracy since 2017 was recorded.
Additionally, Seychellois special military forces successfully boarded a hijacked boat to rescue Sri Lankan individuals.
The incident involved the Lorenzo Putha-4–4, seized by Somali pirates around 840 nautical miles southeast of Mogadishu. The Seychelles authorities were informed of the attack on Saturday, and the freed vessel is en route to Victoria, the capital.
It’s worth noting that pirate attacks off the Somali coast peaked in 2011, and although they sharply declined in recent years, occasional incidents still occur.
Last month, Somali pirates hijacked the MV Ruen, a Bulgaria-owned and Malta-flagged bulk carrier, taking it and its crew to Somalia’s semi-autonomous state of Puntland.
