HALIFAX, Nova Scotia, Jan. 9 (UPI) -- A Canadian warship steamed toward the Mediterranean Sea Monday for NATO anti-terrorism patrols as Iranian naval tensions ran high.
The HMCS Charlottetown, with a crew of 250 and commanded by Cmdr. Wade Carter, set out from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Sunday, CTV News reported.
"We'll be patrolling the Mediterranean looking for weapons of mass destruction or constituents that could be used to design such things," Carter told broadcaster.
The ship replaces the HMCS Vancouver, which has been on patrol for six months, the military said.
In recent weeks, Iran conducted live cruise missile tests in the Strait of Hormuz, a vital shipping route for oil, and cautioned U.S. warships to stay away.
Carter told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. his orders made no mention of deployment there.
"It seems like to me there's some posturing going on. I don't know where that's going to end up," Carter told the CBC. "I don't think NATO has any specific intention or direction at this time to deploy forces to the Strait of Hormuz.
"If there's a crisis and they want us to deploy there, we will be ready to do that."
To reach Hormuz, ships in the Mediterranean would have to travel through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea to the Arabian Sea, the report said.
