A new Russian naval task force has arrived in the Gulf of Aden to join the international efforts to fight piracy off the Somali coast, a spokesman for the Russian Pacific Fleet said.
The task force includes Udaloy class destroyer Admiral Tributs, the Pechenega tanker and a rescue tugboat. It replaces another Pacific Fleet’s task force led by Udaloy class destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, which has operated in the area since September last year.
“The seventh task force has arrived in the designated area of the Gulf of Aden to join the international mission,” Capt. 1st Rank Roman Martov said on Thursday.
Martov said that the new task force would carry out several anti-piracy drills before forming its first international convoy on January 15.
Task forces from the Russian Navy, usually led by Udaloy class destroyers, operate in the area on a rotating basis.
The Admiral Tributs previously took part in the mission in 2009.
Russian warships have successfully escorted a total of 130 commercial vessels from various countries through pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast since 2008, when Russia joined the international anti-piracy mission in the region.
