Iran Navy Saves 2 Oil Tankers From Pirates

Tehran, May 26, IRNA - Iran's Navy warships foiled a pirate attack on two of the country's oil tankers in the international waters, a statement released by the navy Public Relations Department said here on Friday. “The first Iranian oil tanker was attacked by pirate boats on first days of this week near Muscat in Oman's northeastern coast on the Gulf of Oman off the Arabian Sea and other oil tanker was attacked close to the Bab el-Mandeb strait, which connects the Red Sea to the Gulf of Aden off the coast of lawless Somalia. The statement added that the Iranian warships patrolling the area rushed to the aid of the oil tanker upon receiving its distress call, which reported an unauthorized boarding attempt by several people. No injuries were reported among the crews of the Iranian ships. 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. Last May, International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos described the anti-piracy efforts by Iran's Navy as “effective.” 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./end