Indian Navy Rescues 20 Crew of Hijacked Iranian Vessel Azini in 48-Hour Arabian Sea Operation

The Indian Navy completed a 48-hour operation on November 2, 2026, that rescued all 20 crew members of the Iranian fishing vessel Azini from heavily armed Somali pirates in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 km from Mumbai. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the result and credited timely support from the Indian Air Force.

The vessel was seized on October 29 off the northeastern coast of Somalia, between the towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun. Twelve pirates boarded it. At the time of the hijacking it carried 21 Iranian crew and two Somali security guards. The Navy located the ship after persistent surveillance by a mission-deployed warship and a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Marine commandos were inserted with help from an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft. The destroyer INS Kolkata stood by during the final boarding. A large cache of weapons was recovered on the deck.

Singh posted that the swift localisation, interception and safe release demonstrated the Navy’s operational readiness across the Indian Ocean Region. He noted that the personnel had again shown India’s ability to safeguard lives and uphold maritime security. The same class of destroyer had intercepted the pirate vessel MV Ruen in March 2024 roughly 2,600 km from the Indian coast. The current operation extended that reach further.

The hijacking raised concern that the Azini could be used as a mothership for attacks on commercial shipping in the western Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden. Somali piracy has seen a recent resurgence after years of lower activity. The Navy has kept more than ten warships on station under Operation Sankalp for anti-piracy and regional security patrols in the Arabian Sea, Gulf of Aden and East African coast.

No Indian casualties were reported. All 20 crew members were freed and the vessel secured. The operation combined surface ships, air assets and special forces in a coordinated package over two days. It occurred while global attention focused on the Strait of Hormuz and the ongoing US-Iran conflict, yet the Navy acted on a separate maritime threat far from India’s western seaboard.

The success adds to a series of long-range anti-piracy missions that have become part of the Navy’s routine posture in the Indian Ocean. Distance no longer provides reliable cover for pirate groups operating from the Somali coast when Indian ships and aircraft are already deployed in the area. The recovered weapons and the condition of the vessel will be examined as part of the follow-up. The crew is expected to be returned to Iran through normal channels once formalities are complete.