An Iranian fishing vessel seized by Somali pirates off the coast of Puntland has been recovered after a tense operation lasting more than 48 hours, with the Indian Navy confirming that it rescued 20 crew members aboard the ship.
The operation brought an end to a hijacking that had raised concerns about a possible resurgence of piracy in waters off Somalia and the threat the captured vessel could pose to international shipping.
India’s Defence Ministry said the Azini was hijacked on October 29, approximately 185 nautical miles east of Bandarbayla, off Puntland’s northeastern coast. The vessel had been seized by armed pirates, with its crew initially left in uncertainty as the ship moved further into the Indian Ocean.
The European Union Naval Force’s Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) had warned that the vessel could be used as a pirate mothership, allowing the attackers to launch operations against larger commercial ships travelling along busy international routes.
The ship was subsequently tracked moving about 110 nautical miles farther east, bringing it closer to a major commercial shipping corridor.
India then launched a coordinated military response involving its Navy and Air Force. According to the Defence Ministry, a naval warship and maritime reconnaissance aircraft were deployed to monitor the vessel, while the Indian Air Force sent Marine Commandos using a C-17 transport aircraft.
The Navy first restricted the ship’s movement before carrying out a coordinated intervention to secure it and free the people on board.
The operation resulted in the rescue of 20 crew members, with Indian authorities reporting no casualties or injuries.
The Indian Navy’s intervention drew praise from the Iranian Embassy in New Delhi, which described the operation as an example of cooperation between India and Iran in protecting lives at sea.
The rescue is significant given renewed concerns over piracy off the Somali coast, where several vessel seizures have been reported since April 2026. The latest incident also revived fears that hijacked fishing vessels could be used to launch attacks against commercial shipping in the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean.
In August 2026, Turkish and Somali forces carried out another major operation after the hijacking of the MV LATUF. The joint forces rescued the vessel, destroyed four pirate boats and killed 14 pirates, according to reports on the operation.
However, questions remain over the exact number of people who were aboard the Azini when it was seized. An earlier account by the Associated Press, citing a Puntland maritime police officer, said the vessel was carrying 23 people: 21 Iranian fishermen and two Somali security guards.