IRANIAN naval units say they have prevented a pirate attack on an Iranian controlled 297,013-ton tanker displaying a Maltese flag, reports Tanker Operator.
The Damavand was attacked by a speedboat carrying seven armed pirates while sailing in the Gulf of Aden, south of Yemen, according to news reports from the region, which said the incident marked the Iranian navy's 11th confrontation with pirates this year.
The involvement of the navy was said to have prompted the pirates to flee and the vessel was able to continue on her journey.
Iran's Navy Commander Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari was quoted as saying, "Iran's navy fleets have escorted almost 1,000 Iranian commercial ships and oil tankers in the Gulf of Aden ... over the past two years," said the report.