fatman17
PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Joined
- Apr 24, 2007
- Messages
- 32,563
- Reaction score
- 98
- Country
- Location
US launches anti-piracy naval force to combat hijackings off Somalia
Warships from 23 countries will contribute to Combined Task Force 151
Xan Rice in Nairobi
guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 January 2009 08.55 GMT
The US has launched an international naval force specifically to target Somali pirates who are terrorising ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Warships from up to 23 countries will contribute to the force, according to the US Fifth Fleet, which is coordinating the operation out of Bahrain. Commanded by Rear Admiral Terence McKnight of the US navy, Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) is expected to start work next week.
It will operate alongside other coalition forces patrolling the region, including the EU's Operation Atalanta, and individual navies including Russia, Iran and China. The sudden concentration of warships off Somalia has already had a positive impact, with only two successful hijackings in December.
But Somali pirates are still holding at least 14 vessels, including the Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other arms, and the Sirius Star, a Saudi supertanker carrying 2m barrels of oil.
More than 20 countries, including the UK, France, Canada and Pakistan, are already members of the US-headed Combined Maritime Forces, which conducts security patrols from the Suez Canal to the Strait of Hormuz, and from Kenya to Pakistan. With more than 30 warships working together, the coalition focuses on combating terrorism, drug and people trafficking, and piracy.
But the dramatic surge in attacks off Somalia there were 100 raids on ships in 2008 coupled with the fact that some coalition members did not have authority to conduct anti-piracy patrols, meant it was necessary to establish a dedicated new force, said Lieutenant Virginia Newman, spokeswoman for the US Fifth Fleet.
"For now the US is the only confirmed member of CTF 151 but other countries will announce their participation in the coming days," she said.
Besides the international patrols, protective measures by merchant ships, including pulling up ladders to stop pirates climbing on board, travelling at high speeds and staying in close radio contact with other vessels and international warships, have contributed to a recent reduction in successful attacks, the US navy said.
"The most effective measures we've seen to defeat piracy are non-kinetic and defensive in nature," said Vice-Admiral Bill Gortney, the commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.
But Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers' Association, said that despite the recent lull, piracy was likely to continue until the anarchy on land in Somalia ended. The potential rewards a single ship can fetch a ransom of millions of pounds meant there was no shortage of gunmen willing to risk their lives at sea, he said.
Mwangura added that ransom negotiations for both the Faina and Sirius Star were progressing very well: "The ships could be released any day now."
Warships from 23 countries will contribute to Combined Task Force 151
Xan Rice in Nairobi
guardian.co.uk, Friday 9 January 2009 08.55 GMT
The US has launched an international naval force specifically to target Somali pirates who are terrorising ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.
Warships from up to 23 countries will contribute to the force, according to the US Fifth Fleet, which is coordinating the operation out of Bahrain. Commanded by Rear Admiral Terence McKnight of the US navy, Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) is expected to start work next week.
It will operate alongside other coalition forces patrolling the region, including the EU's Operation Atalanta, and individual navies including Russia, Iran and China. The sudden concentration of warships off Somalia has already had a positive impact, with only two successful hijackings in December.
But Somali pirates are still holding at least 14 vessels, including the Faina, a Ukrainian ship loaded with tanks and other arms, and the Sirius Star, a Saudi supertanker carrying 2m barrels of oil.
More than 20 countries, including the UK, France, Canada and Pakistan, are already members of the US-headed Combined Maritime Forces, which conducts security patrols from the Suez Canal to the Strait of Hormuz, and from Kenya to Pakistan. With more than 30 warships working together, the coalition focuses on combating terrorism, drug and people trafficking, and piracy.
But the dramatic surge in attacks off Somalia there were 100 raids on ships in 2008 coupled with the fact that some coalition members did not have authority to conduct anti-piracy patrols, meant it was necessary to establish a dedicated new force, said Lieutenant Virginia Newman, spokeswoman for the US Fifth Fleet.
"For now the US is the only confirmed member of CTF 151 but other countries will announce their participation in the coming days," she said.
Besides the international patrols, protective measures by merchant ships, including pulling up ladders to stop pirates climbing on board, travelling at high speeds and staying in close radio contact with other vessels and international warships, have contributed to a recent reduction in successful attacks, the US navy said.
"The most effective measures we've seen to defeat piracy are non-kinetic and defensive in nature," said Vice-Admiral Bill Gortney, the commander of the Combined Maritime Forces.
But Andrew Mwangura, the head of the East African Seafarers' Association, said that despite the recent lull, piracy was likely to continue until the anarchy on land in Somalia ended. The potential rewards a single ship can fetch a ransom of millions of pounds meant there was no shortage of gunmen willing to risk their lives at sea, he said.
Mwangura added that ransom negotiations for both the Faina and Sirius Star were progressing very well: "The ships could be released any day now."
