The Indian Navy on Monday said that its offshore patrol vessel INS Sumitra responded to a distress call from an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel hijacked off the Somali coast, and the swift response “coerced the pirates” to release the boat and the crew held hostage.

The warship is currently deployed for anti-piracy operations along the east coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.

The mission-deployed vessel’s response ensured the safe release of the hijacked boat, Iman, and its crew, the navy said in a statement.

“INS Sumitra intercepted the vessel, acted in accordance with the established standard operating procedures to coerce the pirates for safe release of the boat and the 17-member crew,” the statement said. The mission was carried out by the elite marine commandos on board the Indian warship, HT has learnt.

The navy statement did not elaborate on how the pirates, believed to be Somalis, were coerced to abandon their hijacking attempt.

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The development came three days after guided missile destroyer INS Visakhapatnam responded to a distress call by Marshall Islands-flagged merchant vessel Marlin Luanda, which was struck by a missile in the Gulf of Aden. Specialist firefighting crews embarked the vessel and helped douse the fire on board.

The Iranian fishing vessel, meanwhile, was sanitised and released for onward transit, said the navy.

“Mission-deployed Indian naval ships on anti-piracy and maritime security operations in the Indian Ocean region symbolise the navy’s resolve towards safety of all vessels and seafarers at sea,” said the statement.

Challenges in the distant seas, including the Arabian Sea, have emerged as a new front in recent weeks, with Red Sea tensions escalating and the resurgence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Somali coast. The recent incidents underscore the worsening security situation in the region, which led the navy to step up surveillance in the Arabian Sea substantially and deploy task groups consisting of around 10 warships in the face of rising threats.

READ | Indian Navy rescues Iranian vessel hijacked by pirates

P-8I maritime surveillance aircraft, Sea Guardian remotely piloted aircraft, Dorniers, helicopters and coast guard ships are part of the effort to strengthen security in the area.

The recent incidents have put piracy in the Arabian Sea back in the spotlight. Pirate attacks in the region peaked between 2008 and 2013 but steadily declined thereafter because of the concerted efforts of the multinational maritime task force operating in the region.

The region accounted for almost 700 pirate attacks during 2008-13, but the figure nosedived to a mere 16 during 2014-19, according to data published by the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Operation Atalanta – the EU maritime security operation in the western Indian Ocean. The first piracy attempt in the region in the last three years was reported in December 2023.

Tensions in and around the Red Sea have also escalated following a wave of drone and missile attacks on merchant vessels by Iran-backed Houthi rebels and trouble seems to be spilling over into the Arabian Sea. Several ships targeted in the area had Indian crews on board or were headed to the country’s shores.

MV Marlin Launda, which was attacked last week, in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes, had a crew of 22 Indian nationals and one Bangladeshi citizen. This was the latest in a series of attacks on commercial shipping in the region.

Another Marshall Islands-flagged merchant vessel MV Genco Picardy, which was recently attacked by a drone in the Gulf of Aden, docked at the Tuticorin port in Tamil Nadu last week after the Indian Navy’s explosive ordnance disposal (EOD) specialists undertook a thorough examination of the ship and declared it safe for port entry.

INS Visakhapatnam had on January 18 responded to a distress call made by MV Genco Picardy after it was attacked. It was carrying a crew of 22, including nine Indians.

The other India-bound vessels recently attacked include MV Chem Pluto and MV Saibaba in December. The drone attack on MV Chem Pluto took place around 220 nautical miles south-west of Porbandar, while the other vessel was targeted in the southern Red Sea.

The Houthi rebels have been targeting commercial shipping in the Red Sea with missiles and drones after the Israel-Hamas conflict began on October 7. Several shipping companies have suspended their operations in the Red Sea following the Houthi attacks, which has forced mariners to change course and take longer routes around the southern tip of Africa.

The attacks on commercial shipping in and around Red Sea were on January 15 the focus of discussions between external affairs minister S Jaishankar and his Iranian counterpart Hossein Amir-Abdollahian in Tehran, with the Indian minister flagging concerns about the increase in threats to maritime traffic in the region including attacks in the vicinity of the Indian coast.

The growing threats to commercial shipping in the region were also discussed during talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron, who was in India for the Republic Day celebrations.