In a press statement yesterday, Russia’s Northern Fleet spokesman Vadim Sergamsan said that Russia intends to send a new naval force to combat piracy in Somalia.

He said a task force, fleet Psov, will leave soon for a new mission off the coast of Somalia in effort to combat piracy.

He further said the new force will replace the Pacific fleet led by the Russian destroyer Admiral Trepots which has completed its mission to combat piracy off the Somali coast on Tuesday and sailed back to its base in Vladivostok.

The destroyer, a tanker and rescue boat arrived at the Gulf of Aden last January and escorted five convoys including merchant ships since then, according to the Russian military officials.