Update, 3 November 2026: The Indian Navy has freed the Azini and its crew. All 20 crew members are safe, with no deaths or injuries, India's Ministry of Defence said in a statement. The operation lasted more than 48 hours and ended on 2 November.
An Indian warship and a maritime patrol aircraft found the boat and followed it. They used non-violent means to stop it from escaping. An Indian Air Force C-17 aircraft then dropped more Navy commandos (MARCOS) by parachute. The commandos took control of the boat from the armed pirates. The Indian news site ThePrint names the warship as INS Kolkata.
The Navy did not say what happened to the pirates. Earlier reports said 21 crew were on board, but the Navy says 20. The Azini is now under Navy control, so pirates cannot use it as a base. But pirates are still active off Somalia, so the advice at the end of this article still applies.
Armed pirates hijacked an Iranian fishing boat off the north-east coast of Somalia on 29 October 2026. The boat is called Azini. The Maritime Security Centre Indian Ocean (MSCIO) published the alert. MSCIO is the EU naval force's centre that gives security information to merchant ships.
The hijacking happened at about 09:00 UTC on 29 October, MSCIO says in Alert 161/26. Puntland security officials told the news agency AFP that it happened between the coastal towns of Bandar Beyla and Xaafun (Hafun). Puntland is a region in north-east Somalia.
What we know about the crew
Before the rescue, MSCIO said the safety of the crew was not known. It did not say how many people were on board.
A Puntland security source told AFP that 21 crew were on the boat. There were also two Somali armed guards. The guards could not stop the pirates, The New Arab reports, quoting AFP. Eight gunmen first took the boat. Four more came on board later, so there are now 12 pirates, officials said.
The security company Clearwater Dynamics says the 21 crew are Iranian. It says the captain sent a voice message to another ship that armed men were on board. Since then, there has been no contact with the boat or crew, Clearwater Dynamics reports. Authorities have not published the crew's names.
Why this matters for merchant ships
MSCIO warns that the pirates could use the Azini as a mothership. A mothership is a larger boat that carries pirates and their small fast boats far out to sea. From there, they can attack bigger ships.
The boat was at 09°42'N 053°55'E at 04:00 UTC on 30 October. In an update, MSCIO gave a new position of 09°47'N 055°45'E. It said the boat was moving towards the shipping lane. MSCIO did not give the time of the new position. Operation ATALANTA, the EU naval force off Somalia, is investigating.
The Azini is the third Iranian fishing boat hijacked off Somalia since July, AFP says. Somali pirates have made at least 15 attacks since April 2026. This is the highest number since 2013, AFP reports. Pirates took the tanker Asana on 17 July. On 16 October, the EU naval force said that this case was still open.
Also in the Gulf of Aden: an armed boat came close to a ship
On 30 October at about 02:25 UTC, two suspicious boats came towards a merchant ship in the Gulf of Aden. This was near 11°57.4'N 045°04.5'E, MSCIO says in Alert 160/26.
One was a green fast boat with four people on board. It seemed to carry a machine gun. It came to about 300 metres behind the ship. It then turned away when the ship's armed security team showed their weapons. No shots were fired, and no one tried to board. The ship continued its voyage.
UKMTO: another large fishing boat was boarded
On 31 October, UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) published Warning 190-26. It says unauthorised people boarded a large fishing boat on 30 October at 14:19 UTC. The warning does not name the boat or give its position.
UKMTO says authorities fear the boat will become part of a pirate action group. This means pirates may use it to attack other ships. UKMTO has not said if this is the Azini or another boat. It asks ships to sail with caution, follow BMP (Best Management Practices) and report anything suspicious.
What crews in the area should do
MSCIO gives this advice to ships in the area. Always follow your company's security plan and your master's orders.
Keep a very good lookout, by eye and by radar, also for small boats near fishing boats or dhows. A dhow is a traditional wooden boat used in this region.
Follow BMP-MS. This is the industry guide Best Management Practices for Maritime Security. It explains how to make a ship harder to board.
Report any suspicious boat at once to MSCIO and to UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations). Ships can also register with MSCIO before entering the area to get alerts.
Know your ship's plan if pirates come close. This includes alarms, the safe room (citadel) if your ship has one, and how to call for help.
Cover photo: The US Navy destroyer USS Kidd near the Iranian fishing dhow Al Molai in the Arabian Sea on 5 January 2012. The US Navy said pirates had held the dhow's 13 Iranian crew for about two months. Its boarding team detained 15 suspected pirates. The photo is illustrative and does not show the Azini. Photo: U.S. Navy, Wikimedia Commons, public domain.
Sources: India Ministry of Defence (PIB): Indian Navy rescues hijacked fishing vessel Azini off the coast of Somalia (3 Nov 2026), DD News: Indian Navy frees all 20 crew members (3 Nov 2026), ThePrint: Indian Navy rescues fishing vessel hijacked off Somalia (3 Nov 2026), MSCIO Alert 161/26 and Update 01: Reported hijacking of the Iranian fishing vessel AZINI (29–31 Oct 2026), MSCIO Alert 160/26: Suspicious approach by an armed skiff in the Gulf of Aden (30 Oct 2026), The New Arab / AFP, 31 Oct 2026: Somali pirates hijack Iranian fishing vessel, NAMPA / AFP, 31 Oct 2026: Somali pirates hijack Iranian fishing vessel, Clearwater Dynamics: Hijacking of Iranian fishing vessel off north-eastern Somalia – update, EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA, 16 Oct 2026: Update on the piracy incidents off the northern coast of Somalia, UKMTO Warning 190-26: Suspicious activity, large fishing vessel boarded (31 Oct 2026).
How we choose, write and correct our articles: editorial policy.
