The Iranian Navys 28th fleet of war vessels, which includes the nation's first super-heavy submarine, has docked at Sri Lankas port of Colombo, says a top commander.The Navys 28th flotilla comprising Alborz destroyer, Bandar Abbas auxiliary ship, Younes submarine and a Bell 212 Twin Huey helicopter docked at Sri Lankas port of Colombo this morning after [calling at Indias] port city of Mumbai as part of its mission in the Far East, said the Iranian Navys Deputy Commander for Operations Rear Admiral Siavash Jareh on Friday.
He added that eastern parts of the Indian Ocean are important for Irans Navy.
The port of Colombo is among the important ports along the sea transit route to the Far East and East Asian countries and Sri Lanka is one of the countries in the Indian Ocean, the commander said.
He emphasized that Irans Navy has succeeded in displaying the Islamic Republics power by dispatching submarines to different locations across the high seas and mastering the complicated technologies used in such vessels.
Today, the presence of Younes [super-heavy] submarine in the eastern waters of the Indian Ocean is the symbol of the Iranian Navys power, Jareh pointed out.
He said Irans 28th fleet of warships has so far travelled more than 2,200 nautical miles and managed to escort 12 trade ships and to identify and track 64 extra-regional military units.
The 28th fleet docked at India's western port city of Mumbai on December.
While the Iranian flotilla was at the Mumbai port, the commander of Indians Western Naval Command Vice Admiral Shekhar Sinha visited the battle group and commended the Iranian naval units for their preparedness.
The 28th Navy fleet recently managed to repel an attack by pirates on a Liberian-flagged vessel in the Indian Ocean.
On November 28, Commander of the Iranian Navy Rear Admiral Habibollah Sayyari said the Liberian-flagged ship was sailing in the north of the Indian Ocean when it came under attack by pirates and sent a distress signal which was picked up by Iranian naval forces.
Sayyari said on November 23 that Irans 27th naval flotilla had returned from its 95-day mission in the high seas.
In recent years, Irans Navy has been increasing its presence in international waters to protect naval routes and provide security for merchant vessels and tankers.
In line with international efforts to combat piracy, the Iranian Navy has also been conducting anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden since November 2008 to safeguard the vessels involved in maritime trade, especially the ships and oil tankers owned or leased by Iran.
By Press TV
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