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| Africa Horn |
| Nations step up piracy patrols in Gulf of Aden |
| 2008-09-02 |
| U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain announced the establishment of a maritime security patrol area in the waters between the coasts of Somalia and Yemen; the area will be patrolled by allied naval forces under Combined Task Force 150. A natural chokepoint for maritime traffic, pirates have stepped up commercial ship hijacking in the area. The Yemeni port of Aden was where the Norfolk-based destroyer Cole was bombed by suicide terrorists Oct. 12, 2000, and nearly sunk; the explosion killed 17 sailors and wounded 39. Since then, U.S. warships have mixed it up regularly with pirates, many operating out of lawless Somalia. Cmdr. Jane Campbell, public affairs officer at 5th Fleet, said the patrol area could be described roughly as a rectangular shape over the Gulf of Aden, with a constant allied naval presence. “The number will vary, but we’ll have ships on station,” she said. “This is not a long-term solution; it’s a short-term, focused operation.” Along with surface patrols, shore-based aircraft, shipborne helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles also will keep a weather eye on the Gulf of Aden. CTF 150, set up under Operation Enduring Freedom in October 2001, includes naval forces from France, Germany, Pakistan, the U.S., the Netherlands, the United Kingdom and other allied nations. The task force is responsible for maritime security from the Red Sea down the east coast of Africa and into the Arabian Sea toward Pakistan and India, until the area of responsibility shifts to Pacific Fleet forces. Operations focus on combating piracy and interdicting weapons smuggling, human trafficking and drug-running. The new campaign will provide a “concentrated look” at who comes and goes in the area, Campbell said, with forces constantly on watch for hijackers. In June 2007, the dock landing ship Carter Hall chased down the pirated Danish cargo ship Danica White, destroying several towed skiffs. But the crew was unable to stop the ship before it slipped out of international waters into Somali territory, a country lacking a viable national government. It’s that sort of complication that the new patrol aims to overcome, Campbell said. The campaign also focuses on what happens ashore in those situations, such as how money is transferred for ransoms. The International Maritime Bureau, which tracks piracy at sea around the world, issued to mariners an Aug. 26 warning of increased activity in the Gulf of Aden because four ships had been hijacked in the previous two days. There have been 176 pirate incidents in 2008 around the world, according to the IMB; 19 took place in the Gulf of Aden. |
| Posted by:Pappy |
| #3 What's been set up is a traffic zone toward the Yem side of the Gulf, in which CTF 150 will patrol. Any merchant vessels outside this are on their own. What will hinder CTF 150 is the current restictive ROE. Hopefully that will be changed, and soon. |
| Posted by: Pappy 2008-09-02 15:29 |
| #2 Wouldn't it be a fine thing to see PT boats plying the waves again, opening fire with twin 40mm Bofors or quad 20's on any Somali who looks at them cross eyed. |
| Posted by: ed 2008-09-02 02:00 |
| #1 Hunting pirates off Somalia would be a fine job for the Russian Navy now that they can afford both fuel and Rustoleum(tm). Step right up and help yourselves, boys. There's plenty to go around. (hey, is that a pun? Russian Navy / Rus-toleum ) |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-09-02 01:41 |