The Indian Navy on Friday rescued a hijacked Iranian fishing vessel, which was carrying 23 Pakistani crew members while responding to a pirate attack on the Arabian Sea, officials said.

The anti-piracy operation continued for 12 hours.

"#INSSumedha intercepted FV Al-Kambar during early hours of #29Mar 24 & was joined subsequently by the guided missile frigate #INSTrishul," the Indian Navy posted on X.

"After more than 12 hrs of intense coercive tactical measures as per the SOPs, the pirates on board the hijacked FV were forced to surrender," the post said.

The Indian Navy said all 23 Pakistani crew members of the ship were rescued safely.

"Indian Naval specialist teams are presently undertaking thorough sanitisation & seaworthiness checks of the FV in order to escort her to a safe area for resuming normal fishing activities," the post said.

In recent months, the Indian Navy has intensified vigilance due to an increase in attacks on merchant ships close to the Gulf of Aden.

The Indian Navy rescued Liberian-flagged ship MV Lila Norfolk off the Somalian coast on January 5 after it was hijacked by pirates.