The Indian Navy on Friday rescued 23 Pakistani nationals from Somali pirates after a 12-hour-long operation in the Arabian Sea in which the pirates on board were forced to surrender.
Indian Navy warship INS Sumedha intercepted Fishing Vessel Al-Kamar during the early hours on Friday and was joined subsequently by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul.
The Naval specialist teams are presently undertaking thorough sanitisation and seaworthiness checks of the FV in order to escort her to a safe area for resuming normal fishing activities, Navy officials said.
Earlier, based on the inputs on a potential piracy incident onboard Iranian Fishing Vessel 'Al Kamar 786' late evening on March 28, two Indian Naval ships, mission deployed in Arabian Sea for maritime security operations were diverted to intercept the hijacked fishing vessel.
The fishing vessel at the time of incident was approximately 90 Nm South-West of Socotra and was reported to have been boarded by nine armed pirates. The hijacked vessel was intercepted on March 29.
Indian Navy remains committed to ensuring maritime security in the region and safety of seafarers, irrespective of nationalities.
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