Rear Admiral Seyyed Mahmoud Mousavi, deputy head of Navy’s operations, said seven Iranian sailors were rescued by the 42nd flotilla on Sunday.
He maintained that one of the missions assigned to the Iranian naval flotilla is to monitor vessels passing through waterways, in addition to escorting Iranian oil tankers and freighters.
“Based on this mission, Navy’s 42nd flotilla encountered a fishing boat with seven sailors onboard who had been stranded in the Indian ocean for more than two weeks,” he said.
He went on to add, “given the serious damage dealt to the boat’s marine propulsion, and until the owner of the boat has not sent a new vessel, the boat will be towed by Alvand Destroyer and all sailors will remain under the protection of the Navy.”
The 42nd flotilla of the Iranian Navy set off for high seas in mid-July to safeguard maritime routes used by Iranian vessels operating in international waters.
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