The 33rd flotilla of the Iranian Navy fended off pirate attacks on two Iranian oil tankers in the past week, the FARS news agency reports.
Armed pirates in five speed boats attempted to hijack an oil tanker in the waters of the Gulf of Aden three days ago, however; their attack was deterred by the navy warships.
In an another attempt, four pirate boats preyed on an Iranian oil tanker approximately 75 nautical miles off Yemen’s coastal city of Mukalla. Nevertheless, their attack was foiled as well.
The 33rd fleet, Shahid Qandi destroyer, Bandar Abbas logistic-combat warship and Tareq submarine, has just began its patrolling of the Indian Ocean having taken over the duty from the Navy’s 32nd flotilla.
The 32nd flotilla, consisting of Jamaran and Bushehr destroyers, returned to Iran after 80 days of missions in the Sea of Oman, North of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, Bab al-Mandab Strait and the Red Sea, the news agency reported.
Earlier in January the 32nd fleet managed to repel a group of eight pirate skiffs that were approaching an Iranian product tanker in the Gulf of Aden.
Iranian warships joined anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden in 2008 and have since foiled over 150 pirate attacks on merchant vessels and oil tankers, according to the navy’s data.
World Maritime News Staff; Image: Wikimedia