Press TV - Six Iranian warships and logistic vessels will join an international
armada fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden.
The deployment is in line with international efforts to curb piracy in the
pirate-infested waters, which have seen over 220 ships falling victim to
hijacking over the past two years.
|
An Iranian Navy ship |
The commander of
the Iranian Navy, Real-Admiral Habibollah Sayyari, said on Monday that "six
warships and support vessels have been dispatched to the Gulf of Aden region and
international waters."
Adm. Sayyari called this long-range mission thousands of kilometers away from
base "unprecedented" in Iranian naval history, and saw it as proof of the
country's military abilities, ISNA reported.
Another Iranian warship has already joined an international fleet -- consisting
of vessels from the US, Denmark, Russia, Italy and other countries -- to create
a security corridor in the bandit-ridden waters.
The Islamic Republic's
first
deployment came after Somali pirates hijacked the Hong Kong-flagged cargo
ship, Delight, operated by the Islamic Republic of Iran Shipping Lines (IRISL)
in the Gulf of Aden in November, 2008.
The latest incident involving an Iranian ship came in March when the pirates
attacked an Iranian vessel for what they called illegal fishing in the northern
semi-autonomous region of Puntland.
The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the
Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for more than 20,000 vessels going from
Asia to Europe and the Americas every year.
The pirates in the area usually try to board and take over the ships, while
holding their crews hostage for huge ransoms from ship owners.
Although the exact amount of their income is not known, it is estimated that
last year the pirates collected tens of millions of dollars in ransom.
It is belied that part of their earning was later invested in better, faster and
longer-range boats to attack commercial shipping hundreds of kilometers away
from the coast.
A
report earlier suggests that Somali pirates receive intelligence about the
shipping traffic from associates in london, England, which is the world center
for insurance and ship broking.
... Payvand News - 05/25/09 ... --
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