SANAA, Nov. 8 (Xinhua) -- Yemen's navy and France' marine forces started joint military exercises on Friday in Yemen's western territorial waters in the Red Sea, the Yemeni official Saba news agency reported.

The five-day exercises are part of the two countries' joint efforts to counter piracy, arms smuggling and illegal migration, as well as to secure the international maritime routes in the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, Saba reported.

It cited Yemeni defense officials as saying that the exercises also aim to enhance the capacities of the Yemeni navy and coast guard forces.

The Red Sea and the Gulf of Aden, well-known pirate-infested waters, see some three million barrels of oil shipments pass through every day.