Indian Navy Rescues 20 Crew from Somali Pirates on Vessel Azini 3000 km from Mumbai

The Indian Navy completed a 48-hour operation on November 2 that located, intercepted, and secured the release of all 20 crew members of the Iranian fishing vessel Azini from 12 armed Somali pirates more than 3,000 kilometres from Mumbai in the Arabian Sea.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the result on X. He stated that the Navy, with timely support from the Indian Air Force, achieved swift localisation and interception of the vessel. Photographs released with the announcement show INS Kolkata standing by while armed personnel stand on the deck of the fishing vessel beside a large cache of seized weapons.

The Azini was seized on October 29 between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia, according to the EU-led Maritime Security Centre-Indian Ocean and Puntland maritime police. At the time of the hijacking the vessel carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. Twelve pirates boarded and overpowered the guards. The Maritime Security Centre warned that the vessel was heading east toward a commercial shipping lane and could be used as a mothership for further attacks.

Indian Navy ships tracked the vessel over the following days. The interception and boarding took place on November 2. Officials described the pirates as significantly armed. The operation recovered the crew and the vessel intact. No Indian personnel casualties were reported.

Singh noted that the same destroyer, INS Kolkata, had participated in the March 2024 interception of the pirate mothership MV Ruen approximately 2,600 kilometres from the Indian coast. The current operation extended farther, demonstrating continued long-range reach in the western Indian Ocean.

Somali piracy has resurfaced after a period of reduced activity. The Azini case illustrates the gap in local maritime enforcement capacity along the northeastern Somali coast. Puntland authorities confirmed the initial hijacking details but lacked the assets to respond at the distance involved. India’s sustained deployment of more than ten warships under Operation Sankalp for anti-piracy patrols in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden, and East African waters provided the platform for the response.

The 48-hour timeline covered detection, tracking, interception, and the safe transfer of the crew. Air Force support is understood to have included surveillance or logistical elements, though specific assets were not detailed in the public announcement. The presence of both Indian and Iranian flags on the vessel in released images indicates the mixed nationalities involved in the recovery.

This incident occurs against a background of other maritime security concerns in the region, including attacks linked to the broader conflict involving Iran and the Houthis. The successful recovery of a commercial fishing vessel and its crew without reported loss of life on either side shows the practical effect of sustained naval presence far from home ports.

Indian officials framed the operation as evidence of intent and capability to protect lives and maintain stability across the Indian Ocean Region. The distance involved, more than 3,000 kilometres from Mumbai, exceeds many previous Indian anti-piracy responses and confirms the operational range of current surface units when supported by air assets.

Further details on the precise location of the interception, the condition of the recovered weapons, and the subsequent disposition of the pirates and the vessel have not yet been released. The immediate outcome is the return of the 20 crew members and the removal of a potential mothership from active use.