Iran sends Navy fleet to Gulf of Aden

The Iranian Navy has dispatched its thirteen fleet of warships to the piracy-ridden waters of the Gulf of Aden in a bid to guard Iranian merchant containers and oil tankers.

"The thirteen fleet of warships, comprised of Tonb and Delvar vessels is tasked with boosting security for Iranian merchant containers and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden and north of the Indian Ocean for a period of 60 days," IRNA quoted Commander of Iran's First Naval Zone Fariborz Qaderpanah as saying on Thursday. 

The Iranian military commander also hailed the successful passage of the 12th fleet of warships through the Suez Canal and to the Mediterranean Sea in late January --the first ever journey following Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution . 

"Over the course of the last two years, the Iranian fleet of warships has successfully managed to display its powerful presence in turmoil-stricken Gulf of Aden, and foil any attempt to impair transportation routes along the country's sea border" Qaderpanah added. 

The Iranian Navy has so far dispatched a number of military warships to the Gulf of Aden to guard Iranian and foreign vessels sailing in international waters. 

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. 

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

According to US Department of Energy estimates, the water way is the quickest transit point for ships laden with some 3.3 million barrels of crude -- almost 4% of daily global demand.