Water, water everywhere and not a drop to drink
HMS Kent is currently part of the UK’s standing commitment to operations in the Arabian Gulf and the Indian Ocean, at sea for weeks on end interacting with legitimate users of the sea, whilst trying to identify and apprehend those who seek to use it for more nefarious activity. On an average day the ship will conduct around a dozen Approach and Assist Visits (AAV) to dhows and medium sized ships and boats, monitoring the patterns of life, tracking hundreds of vessels and having face-to-face contact with numerous mariners. Operating 4 000 miles from home, in a region with some 20 varieties of language and a vastly different culture presents challenges that require of HMS Kent the ability to interact diplomatically and with sensitivity to local personnel. In gaining trust and empathising with the tough existence that many of these mariners endure, there is one simple currency that secures…
YEMEN STRENGTHENS TIES WITH COMBINED MARITIME FORCE COUNTER PIRACY TASK FORCE
Yemeni Forces have been commended for their continued commitment to counter piracy by the Commander Combined Task Force 151 (CCTF-151) Rear Admiral (RDML) Oguz Karaman following his visit to Yemen.
RDML Karaman of the Turkish Navy, said the chance to meet the Chief of General Staff Major General Ahmed Ali Al-Ashwal in Sana’a was a key opportunity to discuss the ongoing threat of piracy and the need for coordinating efforts. He said:
Churchill Aids Distressed Fishermen
The guided-missile destroyer USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81) rendered assistance to a fishing vessel Aug. 5, at approximately 7:20 p.m.
USS HALSEY GIVES AID TO YEMENI DHOW
On 19 January 2012, M/V Albrouj, a Yemeni dhow en route to Somalia from Yemen, hailed a helicopter conducting operations from USS HALSEY (DDG 97) and indicated that they were in distress.
The guided-missile destroyer USS Halsey (DDG 97), which was two hours away from the position of the dhow, immediately responded to the distress call. USS Halsey is currently the flagship of Combined Task Force 151 conducting counter piracy and maritime security operations.
CMF HOST 22ND SHADE MEETING
MANAMA, Bahrain – 115 representatives from the militaries of 27 nations, law enforcement agencies, the shipping industry andvarious governments met in Bahrain, Dec. 12-13, to discuss counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin. The 22nd Shared Awareness and Deconfliction (SHADE) meeting was chaired by the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), and hosted by Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).
Safe in the Hands of St Albans
HMS ST ALBANS, a type-23 Frigate, currently operating under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) as part of Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, sprang into action after receiving news of three critically ill casualties on board a cargo dhow. Events on the afternoon of Sept. 30 demonstrated that there is no chance for respite at sea as potentially life-saving circumstances unfolded.
USS Mitscher aids stricken Dhow
GULF OF ADEN – Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship guided-missile destroyer USS Mitscher (DDG 57), assigned to the CMF’s counter-piracy mission Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, repaired a vessel in distress in the Gulf of Aden, Sept. 17.
The Human Touch
In today’s world of broadband internet, mobile phones and iPads, technology has replaced many forms of traditional communications. However, one thing that technology can never replace is the human touch.
Images – Red Sea Fishermen
HMS MONMOUTH Continues Support to Counter Piracy HMS MONMOUTH continues to support Counter Piracy in the Red Sea by gathering vital information from Local fishermen while she actively searches for pirates. Images by LA(Phot) Stuart Hill/MOD – CROWN COPYRIGHT
