Baku, Azerbaijan, Nov. 5
By Umid Niayesh - Trend:
The Iranian Navy's 32nd flotilla of warships was dispatched to the Gulf of Aden to protect the country's commercial ships and oil tanks against pirates, the Islamic Republic's Fars news agency reported Nov. 5.
The flotilla including the Jamaran destroyer and Bushehr helicopter-carrier warship left Bandar Abbas port, in Southern Hormozgan province on Nov. 4.
As part of the fleet's mission, the ships would later proceed via the Strait of Hormuz, Jask port in the Oman Sea and finally to the Gulf of Aden.
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.
On February 13, Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Islamic Republic's naval forces thwarted over 150 pirate attacks on Iranian merchant vessels and oil tankers in the past four years.
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