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Russia sends destroyer to fight pirates off Somali coast

Northern Fleet`s destroyer Severmorsk is off to fight pirates in the Gulf of Aden (Photo ARMS-TASS)

Northern Fleet’s destroyer “Severomorsk” will lead a Russian task force in protecting shipping in the Gulf of Aden this summer.

Location

The Udaloy class destroyer left its home base in the town of Severomorsk on May 8, and will be joined on route to the Gulf of Aden by the Yelnya tanker from the Baltic Fleet and a tug boat from the Black Sea Fleet, Krasnaya Zvezda reports, citing the Russian Defense Ministry.

Severomorsk” is planned to start patrolling pirate-infested waters in the Gulf of Aden in June. On route the vessel will make port calls in Lisbon, Portugal and in Souda, Crete.

The Russian Navy has maintained a presence off the Somali coast since October 2008, with warships operating on a rotation basis. In 2010 the Northern Fleet’s destroyer “Admiral Chabanenko” and “Admiral Levchenko” participated in different task forces in the area.

According to the International Maritime Organization, The number of acts of piracy and armed robbery against ships reported to the Organization and which occurred in 2010 was 489, against 406 during the previous year. Two crew members were killed and 30 crew members were reportedly injured/assaulted, while 1,027 crew members were reportedly taken hostage or kidnapped. Fifty-seven vessels were reportedly hijacked, with one vessel reportedly still unaccounted for.