The Indian Navy has rescued all 20 crew members of the Iranian fishing vessel Azini in a 48-hour operation in the Arabian Sea, following its hijacking by Somali pirates on Thursday, with Iran’s embassy in New Delhi praising the coordination among Indian forces.

The operation was carried out some 3,000 km from Mumbai in the Arabian Sea, officials said.

The hijacking represented a significant maritime security threat, with the possibility of the vessel being employed as a “mother ship” for launching further pirate attacks against merchant shipping in the region, the Indian Navy said on Tuesday.

“Responding to the situation, the Indian Navy tasked a mission-deployed warship to intervene, supported by a maritime reconnaissance aircraft. Working in close coordination, these platforms located the vessel after persistent surveillance, tracked its movements and employed calibrated non-kinetic measures to contain its movement and prevent its escape,” it said in a statement.

Iranian embassy commends ‘professionalism’

In a statement on social media platform X on Tuesday, Iran’s Embassy in New Delhi expressed its appreciation for the swift rescue mission carried out by the Indian Navy and Indian Air Force.

“We highly commend the professionalism, courage and effective coordination demonstrated by the Indian Armed Forces, reflecting India’s strong commitment to Humanitarian Assistance and Disaster Relief (HADR) and its role in saving lives beyond borders,” the embassy wrote on X.

“This humanitarian operation stands as a testament to the spirit of friendship, solidarity and cooperation between Iran and India,” it added.

The hijacking comes amid a renewed resurgence of Somali piracy across the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean, threatening the safety of fishermen, commercial vessels and maritime traffic.

Somali pirates hijack Iranian vessel carrying 23 crew members

The fate and safety of the 23 crew members remain unknown, according to the European Union’s Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO).

Between April and August, pirates hijacked six commercial vessels, with some attacks occurring hundreds of kilometers from Somalia’s coastline. Among the vessels seized was the oil products tanker Sibu 1, which was captured approximately 252 kilometers (136 nautical miles) east of al-Mukalla, Yemen.

In September, Puntland authorities reported that pirates had killed five crew members aboard the tanker MT Honour 25 before security forces recovered the vessel. The tanker had been held since April, and authorities said 16 suspected pirates had been detained.

Although international naval patrols and improved maritime security had significantly reduced Somali piracy over the past decade, the latest seizures have renewed concerns over the security of vessels operating off Somalia’s extensive coastline.