MURMANSK, November 1. /TASS/. A naval taskforce of the Russian Northern Fleet completed its mission to provide security for shipping in the Gulf of Guinea off the western African coast, the Fleet’s press office reported on Monday.
"The Northern Fleet’s taskforce comprised of the large anti-submarine destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov, the medium sea tanker Akademik Pashin and the rescue tug Altai has accomplished its missions of providing security for shipping in the Gulf of Guinea in the Atlantic Ocean," the press office said in a statement.
In November, the Russian naval sailors left the Gulf and set course for Cape Verde Islands, the statement says.
The Russian mariners’ anti-piracy watch off the African coast lasted almost four weeks. On October 25, the crew of the anti-submarine destroyer Vice Admiral Kulakov thwarted an attempt by an unidentified armed gang to capture the Lucia Panama-flagged container ship bound from Togo for Cameroon. Throughout their anti-piracy watch, the Russian naval sailors provided a safe escort for the Lucia through waters rife with pirates and inspected several civil vessels, the press office said.
The large anti-submarine warfare ship Vice Admiral Kulakov embarked on its long-distance deployment with its departure from the Northern Fleet’s main naval base of Severomorsk on June 28. The warship’s crew participated in Russia’s Main Naval Parade off Kronshtadt, following which it practiced particular episodes of its operations in the Atlantic in the course of command and staff drills for the Northern Fleet’s troops and forces.
The Northern Fleet’s mariners also accomplished tasks in the Mediterranean, held drills for various types of defense for a group of warships in transit by sea and practiced hunting down a notional enemy’s submarine. The Vice Admiral Kulakov has covered about 22,000 nautical miles and visited the ports of five foreign states since it embarked on its deployment in distant waters.