OREANDA-NEWS. July 14, 2009. President Medvedev awarded decorations to fifteen members of crews of the heavy nuclear-powered missile cruiser Peter the Great, the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Levchenko of the Northern Fleet, the large anti-submarine ships Admiral Vinogradov and Admiral Panteleyev of the Pacific Fleet, the Neustrashimy frigate of the Baltic Fleet, and officers of naval aviation and coastal defence forces of the Northern and Pacific Fleets.

In line with the President’s instructions and a UN Security Council resolution, since October 2008 warships of the Northern, Pacific, and Baltic Fleets have been escorting Russian and international merchant convoys as part of international effort to ensure the safety of commercial shipping off the coast of Somalia.

Since then, over 150 vessels have been escorted within merchant convoys between the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea, and seven hijack attempts have been foiled by the Russian warships.

A Pacific Fleet naval task force led by the large anti-submarine ship Admiral Tributs has left Vladivostok to conduct anti-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden.