Indian Navy frees all 20 crew of pirated fishing vessel Azini in 48-hour Arabian Sea operation

The Indian Navy has rescued all 20 crew members of the fishing vessel Azini from armed pirates in the Arabian Sea after an operation lasting about 48 hours, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced.

Singh said the operation was carried out more than 3,000 km from Mumbai and was completed on Monday, November 2. Navy units located and intercepted the boat and secured the release of both the crew and the vessel. He said the Indian Air Force had provided timely support.

A vessel seized off Somalia

Reports describe the Azini as an Iranian fishing vessel. Citing a Puntland Maritime Police Force officer quoted by the Associated Press, they said it was seized on October 29 between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in north-eastern Somalia.

Neither the Defence Minister's post nor initial reports named the warships or aircraft involved, gave the crew's nationalities or said what happened to the pirates. Further details are expected from the Navy.

In a post on X, Singh congratulated the Navy and said the mission showed its high operational readiness and its ability to respond decisively to maritime threats. He added that India remained committed to safe seas and a free, open and secure Indian Ocean Region.

Why it matters for India

Piracy off the Horn of Africa had largely faded after its peak about a decade and a half ago. But attacks on fishing boats and merchant ships have risen again in recent years, threatening routes that carry a large share of India's trade and energy imports. The Indian Navy has kept warships on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden and the western Arabian Sea since 2008, and has carried out several such rescues of foreign fishing crews in recent years.

India passed the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act in 2022, which allows pirates caught on the high seas to be prosecuted in Indian courts. It is not yet clear whether any suspects from the Azini operation will be brought to India.

The rescue also comes as tension in the Gulf region and the Strait of Hormuz has put shipping security in the western Indian Ocean under a spotlight. New Delhi has increasingly presented the Navy as a first responder in the region.