IRI navy saves tanker from pirate attack

The Islamic Republic of Iran's Navy has thwarted a pirates attempt to hijack an Iranian oil tanker in the vicinity of the Gulf of Aden off the coast of Somalia. Iranian warships rushed to help the ‘Hatef’ tanker, which was attacked by pirates at the entrance of the Gulf of Aden, allowing it to safely pass through the danger zone. The tanker, sailing from Iran’s Khark Island to the Suez Canal, was attacked twice before the Iranian navy forced the pirate boats flee from the area. Iran's Navy has been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, to safeguard maritime trade and in particular the ships and oil tankers owned or leased by the Islamic Republic. The waters of the Indian Ocean coast of Somalia are considered as the world's most dangerous area for repeated piracy attempts. The Gulf of Aden, which links the Indian Ocean to the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea, is the quickest route for more than 20,000 vessels traveling annually between Asia, Europe and the Americas. However, attacks by heavily armed Somali pirates on speedboats have prompted some of the world's largest shipping firms to switch routes from the Suez Canal, rerouting cargo vessels around southern Africa, an act which has caused an increase in shipping costs.