--- title: "Navy frees hijacked fishing vessel Azini, all 20 crew safe" description: "Armed pirates seized the fishing vessel Azini off north eastern Somalia. Over more than 48 hours the Indian Navy, with Indian Air Force help, found the..." url: "https://allindia.news/defence/navy-rescues-hijacked-fishing-vessel-azini-somalia/index.md" canonical: "https://allindia.news/defence/navy-rescues-hijacked-fishing-vessel-azini-somalia/" published: "2026-11-03T16:35:00+05:30" updated: "2026-11-03T16:35:00+05:30" section: "Defence" language: "en-IN" site: "AllIndia.news" --- # 20 crew held on a hijacked fishing boat. How the Navy freed Azini in 48 hours _Armed pirates seized the fishing vessel Azini off north eastern Somalia. Over more than 48 hours the Indian Navy, with Indian Air Force help, found the boat, boxed it in without opening fire as the main move, and got every crew member out. What was at stake for shipping, and what piracy still threatens._ Published 3 November 2026 by the AllIndia.news defence desk. Section: Defence, Maritime security. ## The numbers - **20**: crew members rescued, with no casualties or injuries reported - **48+ hours**: span of the operation described by the Ministry of Defence - **3,000+ km**: distance from Mumbai where Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said the operation finished, according to DD News ## Twenty people on a boat that was no longer theirs A fishing vessel is a workplace. When armed pirates take it, the crew become hostages, and the boat can become a weapon against every other ship in the area. According to the Press Information Bureau, fishing vessel Azini was reported hijacked by an armed pirate group earlier last month off the north eastern coast of Somalia. All 20 crew were later rescued. The ministry reported no casualties or injuries. [1] The risk was wider than one boat. Officials warned Azini could be used as a mother ship: a larger vessel pirates keep as a floating base so they can reach farther out to sea and attack merchant shipping. [1] ## Why that matters for trade Merchant ships carry fuel, food and goods across the Arabian Sea and the wider Indian Ocean. A mother ship lets pirates hunt farther from shore, which raises insurance costs and can push routes away from normal lanes. [1] DD News reported that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the Navy, saying the operation was completed on 2 November, more than 3,000 kilometres from Mumbai in the Arabian Sea, with support from the Indian Air Force. [2] ## How the 48 hours unfolded The ministry says the Navy tasked a mission deployed warship, backed by a maritime reconnaissance aircraft, a plane built to watch the sea for long hours. After persistent surveillance they located Azini, tracked it, and used calibrated non kinetic measures: steps meant to contain the boat and stop an escape without relying on opening fire as the main tool. [1] ThePrint and The Tribune both reported that the warship was INS Kolkata. ThePrint also reported support from a P-8I maritime reconnaissance aircraft and a Sea Guardian drone; those two aircraft names do not appear in the PIB release, and The Tribune does not name them, so they remain media reports rather than official confirmation. [3] [4] [1] Marine Commandos, known as MARCOS, the Navy's special forces, were then brought in. The ministry says they were augmented by a precision airdrop from an Indian Air Force C-17, a large military transport aircraft. Naval forces secured the vessel, overcame the pirate threat, and freed all 20 crew. [1] ## Who was on board, according to reports The official PIB release does not name the crew's nationality. ThePrint reported that Azini was an Iranian fishing vessel with Iranian crew, and that Iran's embassy in New Delhi publicly thanked the Indian government, Navy and Air Force for the rescue. [3] DD News, citing the ministry and the minister, framed the outcome as proof of readiness and of India's role as a first responder for seafarers in the Indian Ocean Region. [2] ## One boat freed is not the end of piracy Azini is secure and its crew are safe, on the ministry's account. The waters off Somalia have seen pirate groups before, and any fishing boat taken in that way can again be turned into a mother ship if left unchecked. [1] The operation depended on a warship already on mission, long range aircraft, and a joint Navy and Air Force drop. Those pieces will not always be in the same place at the same time. What to watch is whether further hijack attempts appear in the same stretch of sea, and whether official accounts later confirm the platform names that news reports have already used. [1] [3] [4] ## What to watch next - Whether pirates again try to turn fishing boats into mother ships off Somalia. - Further official detail, if any, on the warship and aircraft types used. - How merchant traffic in the region is warned and escorted after such incidents. ## Sources 1. [Indian Navy successfully rescues hijacked fishing vessel Azini off the coast of Somalia](https://www.pib.gov.in/PressReleseDetailm.aspx?PRID=2331872&lang=2®=48) (PIB, Ministry of Defence, official) 2. [Indian Navy rescues hijacked fishing vessel off Somalia, frees all 20 crew members](https://ddnews.gov.in/en/indian-navy-rescues-hijacked-fishing-vessel-off-somalia-frees-all-20-crew-members/) (DD News, official) 3. [Indian Navy rescues fishing vessel hijacked off Somalian coast in dramatic 48-hour operation](https://theprint.in/defence/indian-navy-rescues-fishing-vessel-hijacked-off-somalian-coast-in-dramatic-48-hour-operation/3088799/) (ThePrint, news report, context only) 4. [Navy rescues 20 crew members, frees fishing vessel from Somali pirates](https://www.tribuneindia.com/news/defence/navy-rescues-20-crew-members-frees-fishing-vessel-from-somali-pirates/) (The Tribune, news report, context only)