In a textbook demonstration of blue-water operational reach, the Indian Navy successfully liberated the Iranian fishing vessel ‘Azini’ from Somali pirates on November 2, at a sea region, which is more than 3,000 km from Mumbai. The 48-hour operation, involving INS Kolkata, maritime reconnaissance aircraft and MARCOS commandos para-dropped from an Indian Air Force C-17, ended without casualties and resulted in the arrest of the 12 heavily armed pirates.
Keywords: Indian Navy, anti-piracy operation, Azini, hijacking, INS Kolkata, MARCOS, Indian Ocean Region, Arabian Sea, Sea Security, Rajnath Singh, Gulf of Aden, Malacca Straits
The ‘Azini’ was hijacked on October 29, off the north-eastern coast of Somalia, between Bandar Bayla and Hafun. Maritime security agencies, including the EU-led Maritime Security Centre, Indian Ocean, warned that the vessel was being moved eastward toward busy shipping lanes and was likely intended as a mother ship for further attacks on merchant traffic. Twelve pirates had taken control of the vessel and its crew.
Responding swiftly, the Navy diverted the mission-deployed destroyer INS Kolkata. Persistent surveillance by a reconnaissance aircraft tracked the dhow’s movements. Calibrated non-kinetic measures contained the vessel while MARCOS commandos, air-dropped by an IAF C-17, boarded and secured it. All 20 crew members were freed unharmed. Weapons and equipment recovered from the pirates underscored the seriousness of the threat.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Navy, noting that the “swift localisation, interception and safe release of the crew and vessel from significantly-armed pirates, with timely support from the Indian Air Force, speak well of the Indian Navy’s high operational readiness.” He reaffirmed India’s resolve to protect lives and uphold maritime security across the Indian Ocean Region.
The operation reinforces the Indian Navy’s long-standing assertion of responsibility over the vast maritime expanse stretching from the Gulf of Aden to the approaches of the Malacca Strait. Conducted farther from the Indian coastline than the 2024 ‘MV Ruen’ rescue, the ‘Azini’ mission highlights the service’s ability to project force rapidly, integrate with the Air Force, and neutralise threats before they endanger international shipping lanes that carry the bulk of India’s energy and trade.
As Somali piracy shows signs of resurgence, such coordinated, long-range interventions send a clear message: the Indian Ocean’s sea lanes remain under vigilant watch.
contact: drrajeshjauhri@gmail.com
Dr Rajesh Jauhri is a Journalist with an experience of over 25 years in Indian and foreign media, a Social Scientist, an Ac-complished Author, a Political & Strategic Analyst, a Marksman (Rifle & Pistol), an Orator, a Thinker and an Educationist. He holds a Ph.D. degree on “Impact of colonial heritage on Indian police”. He runs an NGO dedicated to the social and eco-nomic uplift of tribal communities in MP and two decades back, he established a school in a village of Indore district, providing education and moral values to children belonging to underprivileged and minority families. Has received multiple awards in various fields.
