MANAMA, Bahrain – Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 coordinated a multi-agency response to a piracy attack on a merchant vessel in the Gulf of Aden, recently.

Republic of Korea-led CTF 151 directed a Japanese maritime patrol aircraft (JN41) to intervene within two hours of the initial report.

The merchant vessel at risk reported to the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO) an unidentified skiff was closing on them. CTF 151 confirmed the report, passed information to coalition units and regional partners in the area, then redirected the on-patrol JN41 aircraft to the location.

“Piracy is deterred when merchant crews, the coalition and our regional partners act as one team,” said Republic of Korea Navy Captain Yoon Hyun-woo, commander of CTF 151. “This was a good outcome, and a shared one. The crew did exactly what they were trained to do and that bought us the time we needed.”

CTF 151 coordinated information sharing and asset allocation across several countries, including their own units, EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA and the Indian Navy. To ensure every force and agency with a stake in those waters was working with the same information., assets were directed toward the incident and the information was passed to regional agencies, which included the Yemen Coast Guard, the Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre, Regional Maritime Information Sharing Centre and the Indian Navy Maritime Operations Centre.

By the time armed men boarded the vessel, the crew had already acted, taking the protective measures set out in Best Management Practices. As a result, the pirates were unable to reach them and were unable to take control of the vessel.

With coalition aircraft overhead and further units closing, the pirates departed the vessel. The vessel master and company security officer confirmed the ship was clear, all crew were safe and accounted for, and the vessel resumed its planned transit.

CTF 151 continues to coordinate patrols and information sharing with Operation ATALANTA, regional partners and independent deployers across the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. Merchant vessels transiting the region are encouraged to report to UKMTO, apply Best Management Practices and report any suspicious activity immediately.

CMF, headquartered in Bahrain alongside U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and U.S. 5th Fleet, is the world’s largest multinational naval partnership. Comprising 47 nations, CMF promotes security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters, supporting the rules based international order and safeguarding global maritime commerce.