The “Cruiser Heilan” bulk cargo ship, which was heading to Singapore, was rescued by the Iranian Navy’s Bahregan destroyer.
The Panamanian freighter was attacked by several pirate boats, all of which fled upon the approach of the Iranian destroyer.
Iran’s Navy has been multiplying its naval presence in the international waters since last year, deploying vessels to the Indian Ocean and dispatching two ships via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean for the first time in February 2011.
In addition, in line with the international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to safeguard the vessels involved in maritime trade, especially the ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.
International Maritime Organization (IMO) Secretary General Efthimios E. Mitropoulos described in May 2011, the anti-piracy efforts by Iran’s Navy as “effective.”
The Islamic Republic has repeatedly asserted that its overseas naval presence is meant to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries.
MAB/SS/AZ
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