“The Navy’s 28th flotilla comprising Alborz destroyer, Bandar Abbas auxiliary ship, Younes super-heavy submarine and a Bell 212 Twin Huey helicopter docked at Mumbai port this morning after travelling 3,000 kilometers,” said the Iranian Navy’s Deputy Commander for Operations Admiral Siavash Jareh on Thursday.
Iranian naval fleets are dispatched to the international waters to ensure security along shipping lanes and to convey a message of peace and friendship to regional countries, he added.
“This is the first time that the Younes super-heavy submarine has been dispatched to the eastern waters of the Indian Ocean and the Indian port of Mumbai,” the Iranian commander stated.
He noted that the presence of Iran’s Navy sub-marines in international waters indicates the power of the force, saying, “Today, the Navy has, in the true sense of the word, turned into a real strategic force.”
Jareh emphasized that the security of the Indian Ocean could be maintained only through collective cooperation by its littoral states.
He noted that the 28th Navy fleet recently managed to repel an attack by pirates on a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Indian Ocean.
On November 28, Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Liberian-flagged ship was sailing in the north of the Indian Ocean when it came under attack by pirates and sent a distress signal which was picked up by Iranian naval forces.
Sayyari said on November 23 that Iran’s 27th naval flotilla had returned from its 95-day mission in the high seas.
In recent years, Iran’s Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
In line with international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has also 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.