A crew comprising 23 Pakistani nationals, who were rescued by the Indian Navy on Friday after a hijack attempt on their fishing vessel by pirates, thanked the Navy and raise 'India Zindabad' slogans.
Indian Navy’s specialist team protected the Pakistani nationals from nine armed pirates, and completed sanitisation and seaworthiness checks of fishing vessel Al-Kamar.
The crew were given a thorough medical checkup prior to clearing the boat to continue with fishing activities.
After successfully forcing the surrender of nine armed pirates, Navy’s specialist teams completed sanitisation and seaworthiness checks.
The nine pirates are being brought to India for further legal action in accordance with the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act of 2022, the Navy informed.
"INS Sumedha intercepted 'Al Kamar' during early hours of Friday and was joined subsequently by the guided missile frigate INS Trishul," it said.
The fishing vessel at the time of incident was approximately 90 nm southwest of Socotra and was "reported to have been boarded by nine armed pirates," it said.
The Indian Navy said it remains committed to ensuring maritime security in the region and safety of seafarers, "irrespective of the nationalities".
Socotra Archipelago is in the northwest Indian Ocean near the Gulf of Aden.
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