Indian Navy Rescues 19 Pakistani Sailors Kidnapped By Pirates In Arabian Sea

The Indian Navy’s ship, INS Sumitra, has successfully carried out two operations against pirates in the Arabian Sea. In these operations, the Navy rescued 19 Pakistani crew members and two fishing vessels from Somali pirates.

The first operation was a rescue of the Iranian fishing vessel, Iman, which had 17 crew members. This happened near Somalia and the Gulf of Aden on Sunday night. The Navy’s warship found the vessel, which had been taken over by pirates, and managed to free all the crew members and the boat.

Soon after, INS Sumitra was involved in another operation. This time, they located and stopped another Iranian fishing vessel that Somali pirates had boarded. The crew had been taken hostage. 

The Navy used its helicopter and boats to safely free the crew and the vessel. This action happened about 850 nautical miles west of Kochi in the Southern Arabian Sea.

These rescues are important because they stop the pirates from using the fishing vessels for more attacks on merchant ships.

Just two days earlier, the Indian Navy’s INS Visakhapatnam had helped a commercial oil tanker with 22 Indian crew members. This tanker was hit by a missile in the Gulf of Aden. The Indian Navy sent its missile destroyer to help after getting a distress call on Friday night.

The US Central Command reported that this vessel, named MV Marlin Luanda, was attacked by a missile fired by Iran-backed militants. The Indian Navy’s INS Visakhapatnam had also rescued an American Cargo Ship last week.

Earlier in January, the Indian Navy stopped pirates from hijacking a Liberian-flagged vessel, MV Lila Norfolk, in the North Arabian Sea and saved all its crew members. 

Another incident involved the Liberian-flagged vessel MV Chem Pluto, with 21 Indian crew, which was targeted in a drone attack off the west coast of India on December 23.

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Additionally, another commercial oil tanker heading to India was attacked in the Southern Red Sea on the same day. This tanker had 25 Indian crew members.
Due to these incidents, the Indian Navy has increased the presence of its ships and aircraft to ensure safety in critical sea lanes, including in the north and central Arabian Sea. Now the entire world is appreciating the prowess of the Indian Navy.