The Indian Navy says it has rescued all 20 crew members of the Iranian fishing vessel Azini after a coordinated operation lasting about 48 hours in the Arabian Sea. The mission was completed on November 2, more than 3,000 kilometres from Mumbai, and involved support from the Indian Air Force, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and a statement issued by the Navy.
Singh announced the rescue in a post on X on November 2, saying the Navy had located and intercepted the vessel and secured the release of its crew. The Navy said the operation ended without casualties or injuries. Its statement, carried by ANI and quoted by The Economic Times, described the mission as a joint maritime-security effort involving a warship, a reconnaissance aircraft and Marine Commandos.
The operation followed the hijacking of Azini off northeastern Somalia on October 29. The vessel was taken between the coastal towns of Bandar Bayla and Hafun, according to the Associated Press, which cited a maritime security officer with Puntland’s maritime police. The hijacking raised concern that the fishing boat could be used as a so-called mother ship to support attacks on merchant vessels farther from the Somali coast.
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The Navy said it tasked a mission-deployed warship to intervene and sent a maritime reconnaissance aircraft to locate and track the hijacked vessel. The platforms maintained surveillance and used what the Navy described as calibrated non-kinetic measures to restrict the boat’s movement and prevent it from escaping. Marine Commandos were then deployed through a precision airdrop by an Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft before the Navy secured the vessel and released the crew.
The Navy’s public account did not name every platform involved. The New Indian Express identified the warship as INS Kolkata, while ThePrint reported that a P-8I maritime patrol aircraft and a Sea Guardian drone supported the operation. Those details come from the outlets’ reporting; the Navy statement quoted by ANI described the assets in broader terms.
The phrase “non-kinetic measures” indicates that the Navy sought to contain the vessel without relying on direct fire. The statement did not explain which equipment or techniques were used. Nor did it publish a full operational timeline, the names of all participating ships and aircraft, or a detailed account of the boarding and release.
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The risk was not limited to the crew of Azini. The Associated Press reported that the Maritime Security Center–Indian Ocean had warned the vessel was approaching a commercial shipping lane and could be used as a floating base for further attacks. Pirates can use a hijacked fishing boat as a mother ship, allowing smaller craft to operate farther from shore and approach merchant vessels in areas where a short-range skiff might otherwise struggle to reach.
The earlier AP report said the boat was carrying 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards when it was seized. The Indian Navy’s rescue statement referred to 20 crew members being released. The public accounts reviewed for this report do not explain the difference in the numbers, and the Navy has not published a full passenger or crew manifest. The confirmed point in the Navy’s announcement is that it says all 20 crew members covered by its operation were rescued safely.
The New Indian Express reported that the European Union-led maritime security centre and Puntland maritime police had tracked the hijacked vessel as it moved towards a busy shipping route. The AP report said the EU naval mission Operation Atalanta was investigating the seizure and had urged vessels in the area to remain alert. These reports describe the threat assessment at the time of the hijacking; they do not establish that a merchant ship was attacked by the Azini.
The public statements reviewed do not establish the number of suspected pirates who were detained, their identities or whether they will be prosecuted in India or elsewhere. The New Indian Express said the Navy had not released details on whether the suspects would be brought to India under the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022. Those questions require confirmation from the Navy or the relevant law-enforcement authorities.
The operation also illustrates the demands of responding to piracy far from India’s coastline. Locating a small vessel, maintaining surveillance and keeping ships and aircraft in position over an extended period require coordination across naval, air and intelligence assets. The Navy’s statement confirms the use of a warship, reconnaissance aircraft and commandos, while the minister’s post records the role of the Air Force in the operation.
India has maintained anti-piracy deployments in the Gulf of Aden and wider western Indian Ocean for years. The New Indian Express noted earlier Indian Navy operations involving the rescue of Iranian and Pakistani crews from hijacked vessels in 2024. The Azini operation adds another case in which Indian forces intervened to protect a foreign crew and prevent a hijacked boat from being used to threaten commercial traffic.
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For shipping operators, the next developments to watch are any updated assessment from the regional maritime security centre, confirmation of the vessel’s condition and the legal status of the suspected pirates. For the Indian Navy, the operation is a further example of its role in maritime security beyond territorial waters. The scale of the mission is clear from the distance and the 48-hour duration; further claims about the number of suspects or the precise tactics used should wait for a fuller official account