Indian navy rescues 20 crew from Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia

FILE - Fishermen stand on the Indian Ocean beach at dusk in the former pirate village of Eyl, in Somalia's semiautonomous northeastern state of Puntland, Somalia, March 6, 2017. Ben Curtis/AP hide caption

Ben Curtis/AP

MOGADISHU, Somalia — Indian naval forces freed an Iranian fishing boat and its crew of 20 hijacked off Somalia after an operation lasting more than 48 hours, India's Defense Ministry said Tuesday.

The rescue of the Azini was completed Monday in the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 kilometers (1,865 miles) from Mumbai, Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh said.

An official with the Puntland Maritime Police Force told The Associated Press that Indian forces disarmed 12 suspected Somali pirates, confiscated their mobile phones and released them. He spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

The suspects and two Somali security guards later came ashore at Bandar Bayla in northeastern Somalia, the official said. Three of those who came ashore had minor injuries, but he did not specify whether they were suspects or guards, or how they were hurt.

India's ministry said the operation ended without casualties or injuries. It did not specify whether that account covered everyone aboard or only the rescued crew. It was unclear whether the crew remained on the vessel or were moved elsewhere.

The operation involved a warship, a maritime surveillance aircraft and marine commandos. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft airdropped additional commandos, the ministry said.

The Azini was hijacked Oct. 29 between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. A Puntland maritime police officer said on Sunday that it carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards. The difference between that crew count and India's rescue figure could not immediately be explained.

Indian forces tracked the vessel by sea and air before securing it, the ministry said. It said there had been concern that pirates could use the boat as a floating base for attacks on commercial ships.

The Puntland official said regional authorities learned of the rescue only after it had taken place.

The hijacking followed a resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and western Indian Ocean. By August, pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, some far from Somalia's coast. They included the oil products tanker Sibu 1, seized about 252 kilometers (136 nautical miles) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen.

In September, Puntland authorities said pirates killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered it. The tanker had been held since April. Authorities said they detained 16 suspected pirates.

The renewed piracy adds to shipping risks in a region already disrupted by the Iran war. Attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats by Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels against Saudi-linked shipping through Bab el-Mandeb have complicated oil transport routes.

Those disruptions have lengthened voyages and driven up tanker costs. Some oil shipments diverted around Africa face journeys up to a month longer.

International naval patrols and improved maritime security have sharply reduced Somali piracy over the past decade, but recent hijackings have renewed concerns about the threat.