MURMANSK, September 1. /TASS/. The Russian Northern Fleet's Vice Admiral Kulakov anti-
submarine destroyer, currently on a mission in the Red Sea, is escorting a Chinese tanker through the Gulf of Aden, the Northern Fleet’s press service said in a statement on Friday.
According to the press service, the two ships met in the northern part of the Red Sea and headed east.
"For the next several days, the Vice Admiral Kulakov will escort the Chinese ship, ensuring its security and protecting it from pirate attacks," the statement reads. "The two ships will travel together until they reach the Indian Ocean, where the threat of pirate attacks will reduce," the press service added.
During its current mission, the Russian destroyer has already covered more than 10,000 nautical miles. On July 31, after participating in Russia’s main naval parade in the city of St. Petersburg, the ship left the Gulf of Finland. On August 12, the ship entered the Mediterranean Sea, replenished its food, water and fuel reserves on Cyprus and reached the Red Sea through the Suez Canal in order to take part in activities aimed at enhancing civil maritime security in the Gulf of Aden area.