Iranian Navy Rescues Yemeni Boat in Red Sea

The Iranian Navy warships have rescued a Yemeni boat wandering in the Red Sea waters, a senior commander announced on Wednesday.
“This morning a boat carrying 10 Yemeni nationals was seen by the Iranian Navy warships that had been wandering in the Red Sea waters for three days due to technical failures and was about to finish up its water and food supplies,” the acting deputy of the Iranian Lieutenant Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Shahram Irani, said today.

He said this was the second time in the last two months that the Iranian Navy’s 27th Fleet rescued a Yemeni boat in the Red Sea waters.

Last month, the Iranian Navy rescued two Yemeni fishing boats that came under attack by pirates in the Red Sea.

In relevant remarks late September, Commander of the Iranian Army’s 4th Naval Zone Admiral Khordad Hakimi told FNA in the Northern port city of Anzali, “The Islamic Republic of Iran’s Navy has escorted 1,538 cargo ships in the Gulf of Aden so far.”

He also said that pirates’ attempts to hijack 112 cargo ships and oil tankers in international waters have been aborted due to the timely action of the Iranian warships deployed in the region.

Hakimi referred to the presence of the Iranian Navy’s 27th flotilla of warships in the high seas to protect the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers against pirates, and said the flotilla which is comprised of the Khark helicopter carrier and Sabalan destroyer has berthed in Sudan.

He called the Iranian Navy as an influential force, and said, “The Navy enjoys effective power in safeguarding domestic and international interests.”

The Iranian Navy in August dispatched its 27th flotilla of warships to the high seas to protect the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers against pirates.

Iran’s Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the 27th fleet was dispatched after the return of the 26th fleet of the Iranian Navy, comprised of the Bandar Abbas warship and the Alvand destroyer returned home.

The Iranian 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 Gulf of Aden – which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea – is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.