Large ASW ship Marshal Shaposhnikov started escorting its first convoy in the Gulf of Aden

15.01.2013 Large Anti-Submarine Warfare ship Marshal Shaposhnikov arrived on January 15 to the Gulf of Aden area for escorting its first convoy. The crew started its convoying along "a safety corridor" towards the Bab el Mandeb Strait. The convoy includes vessels from Greece and Panama.

Earlier the Pacific Fleet group of ships, issuing the safety of navigation in the Gulf of Aden, replenished water and fuel supplies, completed scheduled maintenance and held antiterrorist exercises.

The group of warships consists of a Large ASW ship Marshal Shaposhnikov, a sea tanker Irkut, and a rescue tug Alatau. Russian sailors arrived to the Gulf of Aden water area in December 2012 for antipiracy watchkeeping as part of international forces.

According to the report of the naval force commander rear admiral Vladimir Vdovenko, material and technical parts function nominally. The personnel assets is healthy and ready for the mission accomplishment.

The Russian Navy has maintained its permanent presence off the Horn of Africa, with the involvement of warships of the four fleets - Baltic, Black Sea, North and Pacific – operating on a rotation basis. These ships patrol for some time and return to their base.