Indian Navy frees 20 crew of hijacked Iranian dhow Azini from Somali pirates after 48-hour operation
Indian marine commandos airdropped from a C-17 freed all 20 crew of the Iranian dhow Azini, seized by Somali pirates, more than 3,000 km from Mumbai.
At a glance
- The Indian Navy freed all 20 crew of the Iranian fishing dhow Azini on Monday, November 2, after Somali pirates seized it off northeastern Somalia on October 29. No one was hurt.
- A warship and a maritime patrol aircraft tracked the dhow more than 3,000 km from Mumbai; marine commandos were airdropped by an Indian Air Force C-17.
- The navy says it captured the pirates and recovered weapons. Officials in Somalia's Puntland region had put the number on board at 23, and the gap has not been explained.
- Defence Minister Rajnath Singh praised the 'swift localisation, interception and safe release' of the crew. Iranian officials thanked India.
- International maritime agencies had warned the pirates could use the Azini as a 'mother ship' to attack merchant vessels on busy shipping lanes.
The Indian Navy has freed all 20 crew members of the Iranian fishing dhow Azini, which Somali pirates hijacked off the Horn of Africa last week. The rescue ended on Monday, November 2, after a 48-hour chase in the Arabian Sea more than 3,000 km from Mumbai. Nobody on board was killed or injured, the navy said, and the pirates were captured along with their weapons.
The operation used a warship, a maritime patrol aircraft and marine commandos who were parachuted to sea from an Indian Air Force C-17 transport plane, a long-range airdrop the navy has used only a handful of times.
From hijack to rescue: five days off Somalia
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| Oct 29 | Armed pirates board the Azini between Bandar Bayla and Hafun, off northeastern Somalia |
| Oct 30–31 | The dhow moves east, away from the coast and closer to merchant shipping lanes |
| Oct 31 | The EU's maritime security centre for the Indian Ocean warns the Azini could become a pirate "mother ship" |
| Nov 1–2 | Indian warship and patrol aircraft locate and shadow the dhow; C-17 drops commandos |
| Nov 2 | Vessel secured, pirates captured, all 20 crew released |
The boarding position was roughly 185 nautical miles (about 340 km) east of Bandar Bayla. By the weekend the dhow had sailed a further 110 nautical miles east. That drift worried maritime security officials: pirates often use captured fishing boats as floating bases, giving their small skiffs the range to reach large cargo ships and tankers far from shore.
How the commandos got there
The navy first found the dhow from the air with a maritime reconnaissance aircraft, then moved a mission-ready warship to intercept it. It said it used "calibrated non-kinetic measures" to stop the Azini moving, meaning it boxed the vessel in without opening fire. The navy has not described those measures in detail.
The marine commandos, known as MARCOS, were dropped into the sea near the warship by the C-17. Photos released by the defence minister show navy personnel on the dhow's deck with suspected pirates and seized rifles. The navy has not said how many pirates were on board or where they will be tried.
There is one open question about the numbers. A maritime police officer in Somalia's semi-autonomous Puntland region earlier said 23 people were on the dhow, 21 Iranian crew and two guards. Indian officials say 20 crew were rescued. Neither side has explained the difference.
What Delhi and Tehran said
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh congratulated the navy on social media, praising the "swift localisation, interception and safe release" of the crew and vessel from heavily armed pirates, and thanked the air force for its support. He said the mission showed the navy's readiness to respond to threats at sea across the region.
Iranian officials thanked India for the rescue and everyone involved in bringing the crew to safety. The rescue comes at a tense time for Iran, which is in indirect talks with Washington over the Strait of Hormuz and has seen its shipping squeezed by a US naval blockade.
A piracy comeback off the Horn of Africa
Somali piracy was largely suppressed after 2012 by naval patrols and armed guards on merchant ships. It has returned in waves since late 2023, when navies were stretched by attacks on shipping in the Red Sea. Several commercial vessels have been hijacked since April this year, and regional security officials say the Azini was the third Iranian fishing dhow seized off Somalia since July.
India has kept anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since 2008. In 2024 its warships freed several hijacked fishing vessels with Iranian and Pakistani crews and recaptured the bulk carrier Ruen, which pirates had held for three months.
What it means for crews and shipping in the region
The Arabian Sea route carries much of the oil and cargo bound for Pakistan, India and the Gulf, and thousands of fishermen from Iran, Pakistan and Somalia work these waters in small dhows that are easy targets. Freeing the Azini removes one possible base for pirates just as the north-east monsoon ends and calmer seas make skiff attacks easier. Insurers and shipping groups are likely to keep their warnings for the western Indian Ocean in place.
The Azini and its crew are expected to be escorted to a safe port, and the captured pirates handed over for legal action. The navy has not yet said where.
Questions people are asking
What happened to the Iranian vessel Azini?
Somali pirates hijacked the Iranian fishing dhow Azini off northeastern Somalia on October 29, 2026. The Indian Navy intercepted it on November 2 and freed all 20 crew without injuries.
How did the Indian Navy rescue the Azini crew?
A warship and a maritime reconnaissance aircraft found and shadowed the dhow, the navy used non-lethal measures to stop it moving, and marine commandos dropped from an Indian Air Force C-17 secured the vessel.
