New Delhi, Mar. 30 (EFE).- The Indian Navy reported on Saturday the rescue of the 23 crew members of the Iranian fishing boat Al-Kambar 786, hijacked three days ago off the coast of Somalia by nine armed pirates.
“After more than 12 hours of intense coercive tactical measures as per the SOPs, the pirates on board the hijacked FV were forced to surrender,” the navy said in a statement.
The statement further said that the crew of the Iranian ship Al-Kambar 786, “comprising 23 Pakistani nationals, have been safely rescued.”
After the rescue operation, Indian forces are carrying out navigability checks, in order to escort the fishing boat to a safe area to resume normal fishing activities, according to the Indian Navy, which did not reveal any details about the pirates.
On Thursday, India received a first report on a possible incident of piracy aboard Al-Kambar, approximately 90 nautical miles southwest of the Yemeni island of Socotra, off the coast of Somalia.
According to preliminary reports from the Navy, the vessel was boarded by nine armed pirates.
The rescue operation was carried out by two Indian vessels that were engaged in maritime security operations in the Arabian Sea.
Commercial shipping is experiencing a resurgence of attacks and kidnappings driven by Somali pirates and operations by Yemen’s Houthi rebels against shipping in the Red Sea.
The Bangladeshi-flagged freighter Al Abdullah with 23 crewmen has been under capture for 18 days now, after it was taken over by Somali pirates on Mar. 12 while on its way from Mozambique to the United Arab Emirates. EFE
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