The Iranian Navy’s 37th fleet docked at the southern port city of Bandar Abbas on Sunday, 38 days after it started its overseas mission in international waters.
Speaking at the welcoming ceremony of the flotilla of warships, Admiral Amir Reza Abbasi, commander of the naval fleet, said the flotilla comprising the Sabalan destroyer and the Tunb combat support ship had been deployed to international waters in early December 2015.
“The fleet completed its mission after sailing about 5,500 nautical miles in 38 days,” Abbasi was quoted as saying by Tasnim News Agency. Abbasi explained that during its mission, the naval fleet managed to foil four pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and escorted or tracked 1,338 ships in the high seas. In another development, a senior navy commander announced that a massive drill codenamed “Velayat 94” will be held in the northern parts of the Indian Ocean in the coming days. Deputy Navy Commander Rear Admiral Gholamreza Khadem Bigham said “Velayat 94” will be held later in the current Iranian month (started Dec. 22). “The drill is aimed at evaluating the capabilities and testing the military equipment of naval forces,” he said.
