A Russian frigate will start on Thursday a two-day visit to the port of Salalah in Oman to replenish water and food supplies for its current anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, a Navy source said.

The Neustrashimy frigate from Russia's Baltic Fleet has escorted about 20 commercial vessels since its arrival in the Gulf of Aden in January and thwarted at least one attack by Somali pirates.

"On March 20, the frigate will leave the port of Salalah and continue escorting commercial vessels in the Gulf of Aden until it is replaced by a task force from Russia's Pacific Fleet led by Admiral Shaposhnikov destroyer," the source said.

It is Neustrashimy's second anti-piracy mission in the area. The frigate was the first Russian warship to join international anti-piracy efforts off Somalia in October 2008.

The frigate's armament includes SS-N-25 Switchblade anti-ship missiles, SA-N-9 Gauntlet SAM, a 100-mm gun, torpedoes and depth charges. The frigate also carries a Ka-27 ASW helicopter.

The Russian Navy has maintained a constant presence off the Horn of Africa, with each fleet dispatching warships on a rotational basis.

MOSCOW, March 18 (RIA Novosti)