The Indian Navy thwarted yet another hijacking attempt by pirates along the east coast of Somalia on February 2.
A total of 11 Iranian and 8 Pakistani nationals were rescued on board FV Omari, an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel, after INS Sharada fended off the seven Somalian pirates.
The Navy said that INS Sharada, which was already engaged in anti-piracy operations, coerced the pirates into releasing the hostages unharmed.
"IndianNavy foils another #Piracy attempt along East coast of Somalia. #FVOmari, an Iranian 🇮🇷 Flagged Vessel, had been boarded by seven pirates who had taken the crew as hostages," Navy spokesperson said in a statment.
"Information regarding piracy attempt on Fishing Vessel was monitored on 31 Jan 24. Indian Naval RPA, undertaking surveillance in the area, successfully located FV Omari, & #INSSharda deployed for anti-piracy mission in the region was diverted to intercept the boat. INS Sharda intercepted the vessel in early hours of 02 Feb 24 and used her integral helo and boats to coerce the pirates for safe release of crew along with the vessel," they said.
Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Defence Ajay Bhatt informed the Lok Sabha earlier in the day that the navy units are being deployed to Djibouti, Gulf of Aden, and the North Arabian Sea to provide security to the merchant vessels amid rising concerns over Houthi militants' attack.
Responding to a question, Bhatt said the Navy is also sharing information with
friendly foreign countries to identify the sources and players involved in the attacks.