The fleet comprising Kharg helicopter carrier and Admiral Naqdi destroyer was welcomed by a number of Iranian officials, including Iran Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari on Thursday.
Talking during the ceremony, Sayyari said main achievements of the fleet were its arrival at a Sudanese northeastern port in the Red Sea followed by a meeting with Sudanese Navy commanders.
Iran Navy’s 22nd fleet was dispatched to the coasts of Djibouti and Bab el-Mandeb Strait in late September to convey Iran’s message of peace to the regional countries and maintain the security of shipping lines against maritime terrorism.
Iran's Navy has been multiplying its naval presence in the international waters since last year, deploying vessels to the Indian Ocean and dispatching, in February 2011, two ships via the Suez Canal to the Mediterranean Sea for the first time.
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.
The Kharg helicopter carrier is 207 meters long and the largest of its kind in West Asia. The carrier operates as a backup aircraft transport for the Iranian Navy’s destroyers in international waters.
press tv/281
