A solemn farewell ceremony of the Pacific Fleet (PF) task unit heading for the Gulf of Aden to fight piracy took place in Vladivostok on Dec 10. The event was attended by PF officials, representatives of the city’s veteran and public organizations.
The seventh PF task unit consists of large antisubmarine warfare (ASW) ship Admiral Tributs , mid-size replenishment tanker Pechenga , and seagoing tug MB-37 .
The PF mariners are going to shift preceding PF task unit headed by large ASW ship Admiral Panteleyev which is currently deployed in the Arabian Sea.
Addressing the ceremony, Chief of Pacific Fleet HQ RADM Sergei Avakiants expressed confidence that the coming deployment would be advantageous for further improvement of the crews’ naval skills and wished sailors success. The unit commander Capt 1 rank Ildar Akhmerov assured the command that the crews were ready to accomplish all assigned tasks in a worthwhile manner.
In June 2009 Admiral Tributs under the flag of Rear Admiral Sergei Alekminsky became the third PF warship dispatched to the Gulf of Aden for anti-piracy tasks. And in 2010 the crew of PF large ASW ship Marshall Shaposhnikov effectively released the crew of Russian-flagged tanker Moscow University from pirates’ captivity. That complex operation was directed by Capt 1 rank Ildar Akhmerov.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , December 13, 2011; Image: mil