Representative image. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Drace Wilson, Public domain, Wikimedia Commons
Why it matters
Somali pirates use seized fishing boats as bases to attack large merchant ships, and these sea lanes carry the bulk of India's trade and energy imports, The New Indian Express noted. Taking back the Azini removes one such base. The Times of India reported that the operation went farther out than the Navy's March 2024 MV Ruen mission.
The Indian Navy has freed the Iranian fishing vessel Azini and 20 crew members from Somali pirates, more than 3,000 km from Mumbai in the Arabian Sea. Defence Minister Rajnath Singh announced the navy pirate rescue on X late on Monday, 2 November 2026, and said the operation ran for 48 hours with support from the Indian Air Force (IAF).
The Azini had been in the pirates’ hands since Thursday, 29 October. In his post, the minister credited the “swift localisation, interception and safe release” of the crew and the vessel from what he called significantly armed pirates, according to the Times of India and Hindustan Times, which printed the same words.
What is known about the navy pirate rescue
The government has given only a short account so far. The minister’s post and the officials quoted by Hindustan Times give three facts: the operation lasted 48 hours, it took place about 3,000 km from Mumbai, and the Navy located the boat, intercepted it and secured the release of the crew and the vessel.
A photograph the minister shared, as described by the Times of India and The New Indian Express, shows the destroyer INS Kolkata standing by while armed commandos guard men who appear to be the pirates, seated on the fishing vessel’s deck. Seized weapons lie beside them.
Several things are still missing from the reports read. The New Indian Express said the Navy had not yet named the other warships and aircraft involved, and that it was not clear whether the pirates would be brought to India for trial under the Maritime Anti-Piracy Act, 2022, the law that lets Indian courts try piracy on the high seas. None of the reports said whether any shots were fired.
How the Azini was hijacked off Somalia
The Associated Press, in a report carried by The Hindu, said the Azini was seized between Bandar Bayla and Hafun, two coastal towns in Somalia’s northeast. An officer of the Puntland Maritime Police Force, speaking anonymously, told the agency that 12 pirates took the boat. Puntland is a semi-autonomous region of Somalia.
The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO), run by the European Union’s naval force, put the boarding at about 0900 hours UTC (2.30 pm IST), roughly 185 nautical miles east of Bandarbayla, Maritime Executive reported. The centre later warned that the vessel was heading towards a commercial shipping lane and could become a “mother ship”.
That term matters here. Somali pirates use small speedboats that cannot go far, so they seize a fishing boat or dhow and use it as a floating base to reach big merchant ships hundreds of kilometres out. Freeing the Azini took that base away.
The crew count: 23 on board, 20 rescued
The numbers in the reports do not line up neatly. When the boat was seized, the Puntland officer told AP it carried 21 Iranian crew members and two Somali security guards, 23 people in all. India Today carried the same figures. The Indian accounts of the rescue speak of all 20 crew members being freed.
None of the reports read explained the difference of one Iranian crew member, or said what happened to the two Somali guards. NewsPlainly reports both figures as the sources gave them.
Timeline: from hijack to rescue
| Date (2026) | What happened | Reported by |
|---|---|---|
| 29 October (Thursday) | 12 pirates seize the Azini off northeastern Somalia | AP, citing a Puntland police officer |
| 31 October | MSCIO alert says the crew’s safety is unknown; it later warns of mother ship use | AP via The Hindu |
| 1 November | AP report says the EU’s Operation Atalanta is investigating | The Hindu |
| 2 November (Monday) | Indian Navy, with IAF support, frees the vessel and 20 crew after a 48-hour operation | Rajnath Singh on X; Times of India, Hindustan Times |
Indian Navy’s earlier anti-piracy rescues
This is not the first time Indian warships have gone after Somali pirates far from home. The Times of India said the Azini operation was mounted farther out than the March 2024 mission in which the same destroyer, INS Kolkata, intercepted the pirate ship MV Ruen around 2,600 km from the Indian coast.
| When | Vessel | Indian warships | Outcome |
|---|---|---|---|
| January 2024 | Iman and Al Naeemi (Iranian fishing vessels) | INS Sumitra | 36 crew freed in under 36 hours |
| 2024 | Al-Kambar | INS Sumedha, INS Trishul | 23 Pakistani crew rescued |
| March 2024 | MV Ruen | INS Kolkata, with IAF C-17 | 35 pirates surrendered after about 40 hours, about 2,600 km out |
| 2 November 2026 | Azini (Iranian fishing vessel) | INS Kolkata seen in photo; others not named | 20 crew freed after 48 hours, over 3,000 km from Mumbai |
In the Ruen operation, The New Indian Express recalled, an IAF C-17 transport plane flew for almost 10 hours to drop MARCOS, the Navy’s marine commandos, and two combat boats into the sea. Hindustan Times noted that one Indian warship has been on round-the-clock anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden since 23 October 2008.
Why Somali piracy is back in the news
Piracy off Somalia fell sharply over the last decade because of international naval patrols, but it has picked up again. AP reported that by August 2026 pirates had hijacked six commercial vessels since April, including the oil products tanker Sibu 1, taken about 252 km east of al-Mukalla in Yemen. In September, Puntland authorities said pirates had killed five crew members of the tanker MT Honour 25, which had been held since April, and 16 suspected pirates were detained.
The waters are already strained by the Iran war, attacks in the Strait of Hormuz and threats by Yemen’s Houthi rebels near the Bab el-Mandeb Strait, AP said. The New Indian Express noted that these sea lanes carry the bulk of India’s trade and energy imports, and the Navy has kept warships in the Arabian Sea and Gulf of Aden since Somali piracy resurfaced in late 2023. NewsPlainly recently reported on the ₹53,866.5 crore deal for eight new Navy corvettes.
For now, the open questions are where the pirates will be tried, whether the Navy releases the names of the other ships and aircraft involved, and how the crew count is resolved. The Indian side has so far spoken only through the minister’s post and officials quoted in the press, so further details may change parts of this account.
Frequently asked questions
Where did the Indian Navy rescue the Azini crew?
In the Arabian Sea, more than 3,000 km from Mumbai, according to Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and officials quoted by Hindustan Times.
Who owned the hijacked vessel?
The Azini is an Iranian fishing vessel. AP reported it was seized on 29 October 2026 between Bandar Bayla and Hafun in northeastern Somalia.
How many pirates were involved?
An officer of Somalia's Puntland Maritime Police Force told AP that 12 pirates seized the boat. Indian officials have not given a number in the reports read.
Has the Indian Navy done this before?
Yes. In March 2024 INS Kolkata intercepted the pirate ship MV Ruen about 2,600 km from the Indian coast, and in January 2024 INS Sumitra freed two Iranian fishing vessels with 36 crew, Indian reports said.