The Russian destroyer RFS Admiral Levchenko will visit the port of Djibouti in the Horn of Africa on October 17-19 as part of its current anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast, a Russian Navy spokesman said.
The Port of Djibouti is located at the crossroads of one of the busiest shipping routes in the world, linking Europe, the Far East, the Horn of Africa and the Persian Gulf.
"Admiral Levchenko will call port in Djibouti on October 17-19 to replenish supplies of potable water and food. After the visit, the destroyer will continue its anti-piracy mission in the Gukf of Aden," the official said.
A task force led by the Northern Fleet's Admiral Levchenko, an Udaloy class guided-missile destroyer, arrived in the Gulf of Aden on July 3 to join the international anti-piracy mission near Somalia. The Russian naval group also includes the Olekma tanker and the SB-36 tugboat of Russia's Black Sea Fleet.
The Russian task force has successfully escorted several commercial convoys though pirate-infested waters off the Somali coast since its arrival.
The Russian Navy has maintained a presence off the Horn of Africa with warships operating on a rotation basis. Russia joined international anti-piracy efforts in the area in October 2008.
MOSCOW, October 17 (RIA Novosti)
