TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian warships rescued an Iranian cargo ship from a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden, Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari announced on Monday.
“The Navy’s 30th Flotilla rescued the Iranian ship near Bab-el-Mandeb strait (in Gulf of Aden),” Admiral Sayyari told reporters on Monday.
He said 23 pirate boats planned to hijack an Iranian ship, but failed due to the timely action of the Iranian warships, adding that “the Iranian vessel was escorted to a safe zone by the Iranian fleet” .
The Iranian Navy commander said the 30th Flotilla comprising Alvand destroyer, Bushehr logistics-combat vessel that started its mission in May continued its voyage towards Southern Africa after the incident.
The Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.
The Gulf of Aden – which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea – is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.
The Bab-el-Mandeb is a strait located between Yemen on the Arabian Peninsula, and Djibouti and Eritrea in the Horn of Africa. It connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden.
Via: http://english.farsnews.com
NMS Opinion:
Iran is infamous for the claims its navy makes about its anti-piracy duties. They seem to be the best in the world at sniffing out pirates on the high seas, but even they must have thought twice when someone suggested that an attack was to be¬†mounted by a staggering 23¬†’pirate boats’.¬†Given their geographical location in the region, you would assume they could recognise the normal pattern of life in the Gulf.
The statement that “23 pirate boats planned to hijack an Iranian ship” suggests that at the very least, no attack took place and that the truth behind the story is that an Iranian ship was escorted by military vessels through a region heavily populated by small boat traffic. And just how did they know an attack was being planned? Hyping incidents that don’t actually take place is of no use whatsoever. If you’d like to talk seriously about anti-piracy protection, then contact us.
