The Republic of Korea Navy has marked a milestone by providing one million miles of convey support for counter piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden.

The Republic of Korea Navy destroyer which is marking the achievement, the Dae Jo Yeong, has accompanied over 500 merchant vessels since June this year, under various taskings including that of the Combined Maritime Forces’ (CMF) Combined Task Force (CTF) 151. The ship has also supported several counter piracy operations for EU NAVFOR.

The ROKS Dae Jo Yeong on convoy duties in the Gulf of Aden.

“The Dae Jo Yeong’s deployment is a remarkable achievement and I am very grateful to Captain Lim Byung Hwan and his crew for all their endeavors in ensuring that there were no piracy attacks on merchant shipping during his ship’s deployment.” said Rear Admiral Nejat Inanir, Commander of CTF 151.

The Republic of Korea first deployed warships to the region in 2009 and the Dae Jo Yeong’s activities have helped the CMF member achieve the milestone this year. As the Dae Jo Yeong heads back home, another Chung-mu Gong Yi Sun Shin class destroyer will deploy to replace her. The Choi Young will be keen to follow in her footsteps and help the Republic of Korea achieve many more miles of safe convoys.

The ROKS Dae Jo Yeong accompanying a tanker in a convoy.

Counter piracy operations are part of an international effort to deter the threat of piracy in order to protect global trade. The last successful attack in the High Risk Area was in 2017, but the threat of piracy remains.