The tanker Elnya, which participated in the group accompanying Russian escort ship Neustrashimy in its anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, returned to the port of Baltiysk on Thursday, Yuri Kuroedov, a spokesman for the Baltic Fleet, told Ria Novosti.
“The crew of the tanker Elnya carried out the mission set forth by the command of the Fleet, restocking warships in fuel and water,” Kuroedov said.
He pointed out that the tanker covered some 30,000 nautical miles.
The Neustrashimy of the Baltic Fleet returned to its base in Baltiysk on February 8. During its mission in the pirates-infested waters of the Gulf of Aden since last November, the ship escorted tens of cargo ships.
The crew of the tanker had to repel a pirate attack during the mission, the commander of the expedition, Captain First Class Oleg Gurinov, had told journalists. Pirates mistook the tanker for a civilian ship in early January, approached it and set out to attack. The tanker had no choice but to open fire on target after its warning shots went unheeded. The pirates quickly retreated.