Iran Navy counters piracy in international waters: Sayyari

Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari says the country’s 18th fleet of warships has been deployed in international waters to conduct anti-piracy patrol.


“Currently Iran's 18th fleet of warships and its destroyers have been stationed in international waters to counter pirate attacks,” Sayyari said on Saturday.

Sayyari said maintaining the security of Iran's ships and tankers is the priority of the country’s Navy, adding that Iranian destroyers are patrolling the north of the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden and Bab-el-Mandeb strait.

In addition to safeguarding Iranian vessels, the country’s naval forces provide protection for foreign ships and tankers in international waters as well, Sayyari said.

In line with international efforts against piracy, Iran's Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to safeguard maritime trade and in particular ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.

The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for thousands of vessels traveling annually between Asia, Europe and the Americas.

However, attacks by heavily armed Somali pirates on speedboats have prompted some of the world's largest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal and reroute cargo vessels around southern Africa, leading to climbing shipping costs.

Somalia has been without a functioning government since 1991, when warlords overthrew former dictator Mohamed Siad Barre.
Source: http://presstv.com/detail/230940.html