Several unknown pirate boats were unsuccessful in their attempt to hijack a Saudi oil tanker as the Iranian destroyer Jamaran intervened.
It is most likely that the whole incident took place in the Sea of Oman where Iran is currently conducting massive wargames.
Jamaran was part of Iran’s 16th fleet of warships which returned home last week following a 70-day mission in the Gulf of Aden and the high seas where the Iranian warships defended the country’s cargo ships and oil tankers against attacks by Somali pirates.
The Iranian Navy has been providing anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008, when Somali raiders hijacked the Iranian-chartered cargo ship, MV Delight, off the coast of Yemen.
The Gulf of Aden connects the Indian Ocean with the Suez Canal and the Mediterranean Sea this it is an important energy corridor, particularly because Persian Gulf oil is shipped to the West through the Suez Canal.
[mappress] World Maritime News Staff, December 27, 2011; Image: shabestan