Iranian Navy Saves Oil Tanker from Pirates in Bab-el-Mandeb Strait
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Iranian naval forces managed to rescue one of the country’s oil tankers from a pirate attack around the Bab-el-Mandeb Strait, a chokepoint between the Arabian Peninsula and the Horn of Africa.
Sabalan destroyer, which is on a mission in the international waters as part of the Navy’s 37th flotilla of warships, foiled the pirate attack on the oil tanker, the Iranian Navy’s public relations announced on Wednesday.
When pirates, on board six boats, launched the attack on the Iranian vessel, the navy’s Sabalan destroyer rushed to the zone immediately after receiving mayday signals from the tanker.
The pirates were forced to flee after they came under heavy fire from the homegrown destroyer of the Iranian Navy.
Back in July 2014, Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the country’s naval forces have saved vessels from around 20 countries in the international waters from pirate attacks.
In recent years, Iran’s naval forces have increased their presence in high seas to secure naval routes and protect merchant vessels and oil tankers against pirates.
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.