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INS Tarkash and INS Mumbai which evacuated 4,000 Indians from Yemen during Operation 'Rahat' returned to the Naval Dockyard in Mumbai on Sunday evening. (PTI Photo)
The toughest rescue, though, was carried out by INS Sumitra, a Saryu class patrol vessel on April 5 when it evacuated 203 people, including 182 Indians, from Ash Shi'hr port, located 25 nautical miles (46km) from Al Mukalla, an al-Qaida base. Operation Rahat began on March 31 and carried out nine rescue operations, completing the last one on April 15.
Stealth frigate class INS Tarkash returned to Mumbai harbour on April 18 after escorting two passenger liners -MV Kavaratti and MV Corals -carrying evacuees, 70% Bangladeshis, from Djibouti Port to Kochi. Destroyer class INS Mumbai returned to Mumbai harbour on April 16 and INS Sumitra is back on anti-piracy patrolling duty at Gulf of Aden. On Monday, the crew members will be greeted by senior officers of the command, where chief of naval staff R K Dhowan will be the chief guest.
INS Sumitra had initially planned to evacuate Indians and foreign nationals from Al Mukalla port but as the city had been taken over by militants, the plan had to be dropped. "The evacuees were then told to reach Ash Shi'hr port, from where they were transferred to INS Sumitra using smaller boats, said a defence source. "INS Sumitra waited outside Al Mukallah harbour due to security threats for over 24 hours before receiving information about the change of plan," said the source.
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The tactical plan change facilitated safe voyage of the evacuees. Ships of several nations have faced difficulty entering ports in Yemen and have been forced to return due to firing," said the source. The INS vessels, following requests from other nations, evacuated foreign nationals too. India had hired the services of local Yemeni boats to ferry evacuees from the war-torn country's ports to INS vessels that were harboured at a distance. The rescue operations were carried out from three ports Aden, Al Hodeidah and Ash Shi'hr.
"As days progressed, Port of Aden was engulfed in shelling and firing and local authorities refused to accord permission for entry of ships," said the source.
INS Sumitra carried out five operations and rescued 1,621 people, including 705 foreign nationals of more than 30 countries. Two operations each were carried out by INS Mumbai and INS Tarkash, evacuating 915 and 538 people respectively. "INS Sumitra, one of Indian Navy's newest offshore patrol vessels, was the first to be sent for the rescue after being diverted from her operational tasking in the Gulf of Aden. The ship immediately entered the Port of Aden and evacuated the first batch of 349 Indians on March 31 and transported them to Djibouti. At Aden, the ship reported bombing and gunfire and a general disorder, pandemonium and unrest," said an official.
The source said a small error could have put several lives at risk. "The Indian mission in Yemen and INS crews' skillful coordination helped tackle the situation. The operation could be continued due to the close cooperation between various government agencies. Requests poured in from other countries to evacuate their citizens. The ships provided help to as many foreigners as possible," said the official.
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Al-Qaida forced Navy to change Yemen operation plan - The Times of India
