Indian Navy commandos parachuted from an IAF C-17 aircraft to rescue 20 crew members from the hijacked vessel Azini off the Somali coast. The 48-hour operation ended safely without any casualties. The Navy said, "The Indian Navy stands committed to safeguarding seafarers, protecting vital maritime trade routes and ensuring safety."
Marine Commandos parachuted from an IAF C-17 transport aircraft to storm the hijacked vessel Azini off the coast of Somalia, rescuing all 20 crew members in a 48-hour operation.
The Indian Navy stormed a hijacked fishing vessel off the northeastern Somalia coast to rescue 20 crew members without a single casualty or injury in a 48-hour operation.
According to the Navy statement Tuesday, the vessel, Azini, had been seized by an armed pirate group earlier last month, raising alarms across international shipping lanes over fears it would be turned into a "mother ship" to launch further pirate raids across the region.
The Navy tasked a mission-deployed warship to intervene, supported by a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. "Working in close coordination, these platforms located the vessel after persistent surveillance, tracked its movements and employed calibrated non-kinetic measures to contain its movement and prevent its escape," the Navy stated.
Marine commandos were parachuted into the area via a precision airdrop executed by an Indian Air Force (IAF) C-17 aircraft. The commandos stormed and secured the vessel, neutralised the pirate threat, and safely freed the 20-man crew, the statement said.
The Navy said the successful operation is a testament to its high operational preparedness and ability to undertake complex maritime security operations through seamless inter-service coordination, while underscoring India's unwavering commitment to remaining First Responder and Preferred Security Partner in the Indian Ocean Region.
"The Indian Navy stands committed to safeguarding seafarers, protecting vital maritime trade routes and ensuring a safe, secure and stable maritime environment in the Indian Ocean Region," the statement added.
Previous Navy interventions
The Indian Navy has periodically responded to similar incidents over recent years. Earlier this year in July, INA Trikand, a mission-deployed stealth frigate of the Indian Navy operating in the Gulf of Aden, responded to a piracy attempt on MV Golden Arsenal, a St Vincent and the Grenadines-flagged bulk carrier carrying a crew of 21.
The merchant vessel was transiting from Aden, Yemen, when it reported an attempted pirate attack approximately 300 nautical miles east-northeast of Djibouti.
The Navy responded to multiple piracy-related incidents from December 2023 to the early months of 2024 under Operation Sankalp.