Admiral R Hari Kumar, Chief of the Naval Staff, during his visit to Southern Naval Command, Kochi, awarded 'On the Spot Unit Citation' to INS Sharda for successful conduct of anti-piracy operations. The ship was involved in the safe release of all 19 crew members (11 Iranian & 08 Pakistani) of Iranian fishing vessel Omari which was held hostage by pirates off East coast of Somalia.

The ship was tasked to investigate the Iranian fishing vessel Omari that was likely hijacked by pirates. Based on surveillance inputs of naval RPA, the ship intercepted the vessel and maintained a covert trail throughout the night. During early morning hours of 02 Feb 24, the ship's integral helo and subsequently Prahar team was launched. The aggressive posture of ship coerced the pirates to safely release the crew and boat. The swift and decisive actions of the ship resulted in rescue of hijacked fishing vessel and its crew from Somali pirates. The relentless effort of the ship, mission deployed for anti-piracy operations saved precious lives at sea upholding Indian Navy's resolve to enhancing security and safety of seafarers in the Indian Ocean Region.

The CNS interacted with Team Sharda and commended them for responding to piracy attack with alacrity leading to safe and successful conduct of operations at sea under challenging conditions. During his address, he complimented the professional approach of crew which resulted in recognition and acclaim of Indian Navy as the preferred security partner in the region.

___________________________________________________________________

VM/SKS                                                                                                                   73/24