(Ahlul Bayt News Agency) - One of the oil tankers which had came under attack by pirates in the Gulf of Aden and Bab al-Mandab Strait was saved by Iran's naval forces, Managing Director of the National Iranian Tanker Company Mohammad Souri said on Saturday.
Souri added that the other Iranian oil tanker, Damavand, was also attacked by pirates in the Gulf of Aden but managed to safely cross the danger zone.
In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 in order to safeguard merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.
The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is a strategic energy corridor particularly because the Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West via the Suez Canal.
Despite international patrols, Somali pirates have hijacked dozens of ships in recent years and have taken in tens of millions of dollars in ransom.
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