Indian Navy rescues hijacked Iranian ship FV Iman from Somali pirates in Arabian Sea

The Indian Navy on Monday launched yet another rescue mission in the Arabian Sea, rescuing an Iranian vessel that had been hijacked by Somali pirates. The crew of the fishing vessel had been taken hostage and were released when an Indian warship reached the spot and coerced the pirates to deboard.

INS Sumitra, a Saryu class patrol vessel made at the Goa Shipyard Ltd, had been deployed on anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia when it received a distress signal from Iranian flagged FV Iman, notifying that it had been boarded by pirates with all crew taken hostage.

"INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel and acted in accordance with the established standing operating procedures to coerce the pirates for safe release of crew along with the boat," an officials said, adding that 17 crew members were rescued.


The Iranian vessel was sanitised by an armed Indian Navy team to ensure safety of the crew and was released for onward transit. The rescue mission is of consequence as hijacked fishing vessels are often used by pirates to launch attacks on larger commercial freighters in the Arabian Sea.

Hijacked fishing vessels are used as mother ships, from which fast boats are launched at larger vessels. Their crew is kept hostage to prevent action from navies operating in the region and rescuing crew members is a delicate task given that Somali pirates are heavily armed.

The Indian Navy has deployed around 10 warships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden in the past few weeks after an increase in pirate attacks as well as the threat of drone and missile attacks by Houthi rebels.