Iranian cargo ship with Pakistanis and Iranians on board rescued from pirates by Indian Navy
FV Omaril, an Iranian cargo ship carrying Pakistani and Iranian nationals, was rescued from a piracy attempt by the Indian Navy off the east coast of Somalia.
Indian Navy News: The Indian Navy foiled a piracy attempt on an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with a crew of 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani nationals along the eastern coast of Somalia, the latest in a series of such rescue missions in the region.
The Indian warship INS Sharda came to the aid of FV Omaril after seven pirates boarded it and took the crew hostage, officials said Friday.
The warship, deployed on an anti-piracy mission in the region, was diverted to intercept the boat after the Indian Navy's remotely piloted aircraft, which was conducting surveillance in the area, successfully located FV Omari, they said.
#IndianNavy foils another #piracy attempt along the east coast of #Somalia.
Info about attempted piracy #FVOmari checked #31Jan 24. The ship has been successfully located by the Indian Navy's RPA, which is conducting surveillance in the area and #INSharada on anti-piracy mission diverted to intercept. pic.twitter.com/XMUcP5gqTk
— SpokespersonNavy (@indiannavy) February 2, 2024
The Navy received the information about the piracy incident late on January 31.
“FV Omaril, an Iranian-flagged ship, had been carrying seven pirates who had taken the crew hostage,” Indian Navy spokesman Vivek Madhwal said.
INS Sharda intercepted the ship in the early hours of Friday and used its integral helicopter and boats to force the pirates to safely release the crew along with the ship, he said.
The ship ensured the successful release of the 11 Iranian and eight Pakistani crew members, he said.
“The ship also affirmatively boarded FV Omari to decontaminate and check the welfare of the crew held captive by the Somali pirates,” Madhwal said.
“The relentless efforts of Indian Naval platforms, missions deployed for anti-piracy and maritime security operations, continue to save precious lives at sea, symbolizing the resolve of the Indian Navy for the safety of all ships and seafarers at sea,” he said.
Indian warship INS Sumitra has rescued 19 Pakistani crew members of a fishing vessel after their Iranian-flagged fishing vessel was attacked by pirates off the eastern coast of Somalia a few days ago.
In a coordinated response, the Indian Navy along with the naval forces of Sri Lanka and Seychelles also rescued a fishing vessel earlier this week after it was hijacked in the shipping lanes east of Mogadishu.
The Navy thwarted an attempted hijacking of the Liberian-flagged ship MV Lila Norfolk in the North Arabian Sea on January 5 and rescued all its crew.
The Liberian-flagged ship MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew members, was the target of a drone attack off the west coast of India on December 23.
In addition to the MV Chem Pluto, another commercial oil tanker bound for India was hit by a suspected drone strike in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. The ship had a team of 25 Indian crew members.
The Navy has already enhanced the deployment of its frontline ships and surveillance aircraft for maritime security operations in view of the maritime environment in the critical sea lanes, including the North and Central Arabian Seas.
(Only the headline was reworked by India.com staff. The copy is from an agency feed)