The Indian Navy said Friday that it freed a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel from armed pirates in the Arabian Sea.
The fishing vessel, Al-Kabar 786, was southwest of the island of Socotra, which is a part of Yemeni territory, on Thursday when its crew reported that it was being boarded by pirates, according to a statement released by the Iranian Navy.
The fishing boat was intercepted by the INS Sumedha and INS Trishul, which led to an intense tactical standoff that the Indian Navy said lasted over 12 hours before the pirates finally surrendered, according to Reuters.
The Iranian ship was manned by 23 Pakistani nationals, who were all rescued unharmed.
"Indian Naval specialist teams are presently undertaking thorough sanitization and seaworthiness checks of the fishing vessel in order to escort her to a safe area for resuming normal fishing activities," the statement said.
With the U.S. and United Kingdom focused on protecting shipping in the Red Sea from Yemeni Houthi militants, pirates have taken advantage, hijacking more than 20 vessels since November and driving up insurance and security costs, according to Reuters.
The 9 pirates will reportedly be brought to India to face criminal charges.
