Indian Navy INS Sumitra rescues fishing boat hijacked by Somali pirates in Arabian Sea

The Indian Navy warship INS Sumitra rescued 17 crew members of the Iranian-flagged fishing vessel MV Iman, which was hijacked by Somali pirates 700 nautical miles west of Cochin in the Arabian Sea.

Just two days ago, the Navy deployed the guided-missile destroyer Visakhapatnam to the Gulf of Aden to help put out a fire on a Marshall Islands-flagged ship with 22 Indian crew members on board.

The U.S. Central Command (CENTCOM) said the vessel MV Marlin Luanda was hit by an anti-ship ballistic missile fired by Iran-backed Houthi rebels.

Indian Navy spokesman Commander Vivek Madhwal said that the Indian Navy’s fire brigade along with the crew of the Marshall Islands ship worked for six hours to successfully control the fire.

India has received international praise for its timely rescue of a commercial oil tanker hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden.

On January 17, the Indian Navy’s INS Visakhapatnam once again rescued a cargo ship that was attacked by a drone in the Gulf of Aden. The Marshall Islands-flagged vessel has a crew of 22, nine of whom are Indians.

The attack on the ship occurred 60 nautical miles south of the port of Aden.

The Indian Navy said in a statement that the Visakhapatnam responded to the attack within an hour after receiving a distress call from the Genco Picardy vessel.

Earlier this month, the Indian Navy’s elite naval commandos achieved great success in international waters, rescuing 21 crew members, including 15 Indians, from a bulk carrier in the North Arabian Sea and quickly disinfecting it .

“All 21 crew members on board, including 15 Indians, were safely evacuated from the fort,” Navy spokesman Commander Madhwal said.

In a rapid response to the attempted hijacking of the Liberian-flagged merchant vessel MV Lila Norfolk, the Navy diverted the INS Chennai from its anti-piracy patrols.

At around 3:15 pm on January 5, the ship intercepted the vessel and continued to monitor it using maritime patrol aircraft, Predator MQ9B drones and helicopters.

“Indian Marine commandos from the deployed warship boarded the merchant ship and conducted a disinfection operation,” Madhwal said.

The Indian Navy has increased its presence in the North Arabian Sea, Central Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Aden to monitor the maritime security situation.