The 33rd Fleet of the Iranian Navy has managed to save two Iranian oil tankers from pirates, as reported on Tuesday.
The Navy encountered the pirates during the first day of its presence in international waters and the Gulf of Aden, according to a Navy statement.
The Iranian Navy’s 33rd Fleet has recently started an intelligence, operational and training mission from Bandar Abbas in Hormuzgan Province, southern Iran.
Image: tasnimnews
The 33rd Fleet encountered the pirates in the Gulf of Aden when it was heading towards the East Asian waters.
The pirates used five boats to approach one out of the two Iranian tankers, and were about to initiate an attack on the ships when the escorting Iranian fleet were able to force them to withdraw after which the pirates managed to escape.
Three days previous to this attack, the pirates had attempted another attack on an Iranian tanker that was near the Al-Mukalla port in Yemen.
Al-Mukalla is one of the major sea ports and also the capital city of the Hadhramaut coastal region in Yemen, which is located in southern Arabia on the Gulf of Aden near the Arabian Sea.
In recent years Iran’s Navy has generally increased its presence in international waters in order to protect naval routes as well as provide the proper security regarding merchant ships and tankers.
During its missions in international waters the Fleet has been able to disrupt several attacks on Iranian as well as foreign tankers.