Iran Navy’s 44th flotilla docks at Tanzania port

An Iranian Navy fleet has docked at Tanzania’s Port city of Dar es Salaam in line with the Islamic Republic’s strategy of expanding its naval presence in the high seas.

The 44th flotilla of the Iranian Navy, consisting of the Alvand destroyer and the Bushehr logistic vessel, berthed at the African port on Saturday.

It embarked on a voyage for the high seas on October 5 to safeguard maritime routes used by the country's vessels and oil tankers operating in the Gulf of Aden and the strategic Bab el-Mandeb Strait against pirates.

The fleet docked at Dar es Salaam in line with the consolidation of the cordial relations and diplomatic ties between Iran and Tanzania and the expansion of maritime interaction with the purpose of conveying the Islamic Republic’s message of peace and friendship.

It will stay in Tanzania for three days and then depart for South Africa.

The 44th flotilla successfully saved two Iranian ships from three pirate attacks on October 17 in the Gulf of Aden.

Gulf of Aden pirates, who mainly come from Somali coasts, attacked an Iranian merchant ship in a bid to highjack it but they were forced to flee after a heavy exchange of fire by the Iranian fleet.

The pirates also conducted two attacks on another Iranian merchant ship. They initially attacked the vessel with eight speedboats 46 miles south of the Yemeni city of Aden and later with 13 well-equipped boats 55 miles south of the port city.

However, the two attacks were repelled by the Iranian naval forces and the pirates were forced to retreat when they came under heavy fire.

In recent years, Iran’s Navy has increased its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.

In line with international efforts against piracy, the Iranian Navy has been conducting patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, safeguarding merchant containers and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran or other countries.

Iran’s Navy has managed to foil several attacks on both Iranian and foreign tankers during its missions in international waters.