The 62nd flotilla, comprising Bayandor destroyer, Bushehr logistic vessel and Lavan logistic warship, will set off for the high seas on a mission to maintain the Islamic Republic’s power in international waters.
Navy’s 61st flotilla of warships, which had embarked on a similar mission in the strategic Strait of Bab-el-Mandab, returned home last week after traveling a total of 5,100 nautical miles in 67 days.
Iran’s naval forces, in recent years, have increased their presence in the international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for trade vessels and oil tankers.
The Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
According to UN Security Council resolutions, different countries can send their warships to the Gulf of Aden and coastal waters of Somalia against the pirates and even with prior notice to Somali government enter the territorial waters of that country in pursuit of Somali sea pirates.
The 60th flotilla, also comprising Bayandor, Bushehr and Lavan, thwarted a massive pirate attack an Iranian oil tanker which carried 150,000 tons of cargo in the Gulf of Aden in March.
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