Iranian Navy Foils Pirate Attack on Oil Tanker
The Iranian Navy’s 27th Fleet rescued an Iranian oil tanker from repeated pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden off Yemen’s southern coast over the weekend.
The tanker was attacked twice by pirates late on Saturday and Sunday morning, but they failed in their attempts to hijack the vessel and fled the scene after the warships intervened and thwarted the attacks.
The tanker was not damaged in the incident. However, the Iranian naval forces responded to the pirates with heavy gunfire and damaged some of their fast boats.
After the pirates fled, the Iranian oil tanker was escorted by the Navy’s fleet to its destination.
The 27th Fleet also recently succeeded in rescuing Yemeni vessels from pirates, and is continuously patrolling the Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
The fleet of warships consists of the Kharg warship and Sabalan destroyer. Kharg has 250 crewmembers and can carry three helicopters.