By Umid Niayesh – Trend:
Iran’s navy has repelled pirate attacks against an Iranian oil tank on Nov. 23 in the Gulf of Aden, the Islamic Republic Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said.
The pirates made the attack with a dhow and speed boat in the entrance canal to the Gulf of Aden, Sayyari said, Iran’s Fars news agency reported Nov. 24.
The pirates had to flee after Iranian naval commandos took swift action to thwart their attacks, the commander added.
Sayyari said that the Iranian navy imposed serious causalities to the pirates.
The Iranian Navy’s 32nd flotilla of warships was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden early in November to protect the country’s commercial ships and oil tanks against pirates.
The flotilla including the Jamaran destroyer and Bushehr helicopter-carrier warship left Bandar Abbas port, inSouthern Hormozgan province on Nov. 4.
The naval group has been given orders to protect the shipping lanes where the Iranian ships would travel and also to assist the foreign ships requiring emergency assistance in the Gulf of Aden, according to the report.
In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
In line with international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has also been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to safeguard the vessels involved in maritime trade, especially the ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.
The Iranian Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its mission in international waters.
Via: http://en.trend.az
