Iranian Navy Fleet Sets Sail for High Seas
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – The Iranian Navy on Thursday deployed the 36th flotilla of warships to international waters as part of routine missions to ensure security of the country’s trade vessels.
The 36th fleet, comprising Bushehr logistic vessel and Jamaran destroyer, departed Iran’s southern coasts for the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean.
Its predecessor, the 35th fleet, returned home on Thursday morning from a 3-month overseas mission.
Comprised of Bandar Abbas logistic warship and Alvand destroyer, the 35th fleet sailed across the Pacific Ocean, Suez Canal, Gulf of Aden, Bab el-Mandeb Strait, Red Sea, Mediterranean, Sri Lanka waters, Strait of Malacca, China Sea and Indian Ocean in about 90 days.
According to Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, the purposes of such routine missions include ensuring security for vessels in the shipping lines, fighting against piracy and hoisting the flag of Iran in high seas.
Since November 2008, the Iranian navy has conducted anti-piracy missions in the Gulf of Aden and Bab el-Mandeb Strait to protect the country’s vessels against pirate attacks.
Under the terms of several UN Security Council resolutions, nations can deploy warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia to protect their vessels against pirates and, after giving notice to Somali government, enter Somali territorial waters in pursuit of the pirates.
