Indian navy rescues 20 Iranian sailors from hijacked vessel off Somalia

Indian navy rescues 20 Iranian sailors from hijacked vessel off Somalia - Indian Navy personnel aboard the hijacked Iranian fishing vessel Azini after freeing its crew and detaining suspected Somali pirates during an operation in the Arabian Sea on November 2, 2026. (Photo: X/ Rajnath Singh)

According to India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the country’s Navy recovered the Azini on Monday following an operation lasting more than 48 hours.

India has rescued 20 Iranian crew members from a fishing vessel hijacked off Somalia last month after maritime authorities warned that the ship could be used to launch attacks against commercial vessels operating in the western Indian Ocean.

According to India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, the country’s Navy recovered the Azini on Monday following an operation lasting more than 48 hours. The vessel was intercepted in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometres from Mumbai.

"The swift localisation, interception and safe release of the crew and vessel from significantly armed pirates, with timely support from the Indian Air Force," Singh said in a statement on X.

The rescue followed the hijacking of the Azini on October 29 off northeastern Somalia's Puntland region. The European Union's Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) issued an alert on October 31 after the vessel was seized and tracked its movements as it travelled further east from the Somali coast.

MSCIO warned that the pirates could use the fishing boat as a mother ship to support attacks against merchant vessels operating further offshore. Such vessels provide a base from which smaller boats can be deployed to intercept commercial ships.

A Puntland maritime police official told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected pirates during the operation before confiscating their phones and releasing them.

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The hijacking came amid renewed Somali piracy, with armed groups resuming attacks on commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean after years of reduced activity. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, including the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 252 kilometres east of al-Mukalla, Yemen.

Last month, Puntland authorities reported that pirates killed five crew members aboard the tanker MT Honour 25, which had been held since April. Security forces subsequently recovered the vessel and detained 16 suspected pirates.

The renewed attacks have added to the risks facing international shipping in a region already experiencing disruption linked to the Iran war, including threats to vessels transiting the Red Sea and Bab el-Mandeb Strait.