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MANAMA, Bahrain - The Royal Australian Navy Ship Parramatta disrupted a pirate attack in the Gulf of Aden, May 25, whilst assigned to the counter-piracy task force Combined Task Force.
The suspicious skiff was located one nautical mile from the merchant vessel Saudi Diriyah. Initially, the skiff appeared to be dead in the water, but as Parramatta approached, the crew on board the skiff started one of its engines and quickly attempted to get out of the area.
Parramatta followed the skiff and observed seven people on board throwing items into the water. When Parramatta closed in on the skiff, the suspected pirates raised their hands in surrender and a boarding team was dispatched to the vessel. Fifteen drums of fuel were found on board.
The skiff was marked with indelible paint to allow coalition and other forces to track and identify the skiff in the future and the suspected pirates were released.
"Parramatta's swift and professional reaction very likely prevented an attack on the M/V Saudi Diriyah or another vessel in the vicinity," said Republic of Korea Navy Rear Admiral Beom Rim Lee, Commander of Combined Task Force 151. "Pirates in the area are getting smarter, more
aggressive, and in some ways more desperate. The naval forces are doing all they can to keep the shipping lanes opens, but I also implore vessels transiting these dangerous waters to help protect themselves through the use such things as 24-hour watches, razor wire, speed and evasive manoeuvres when they come near potential threats."
Parramatta is patrolling the region as part of CTF 151, a multinational task force established by Combined Maritime Forces in January 2009 to conduct counter-piracy operations under a mission based mandate to actively deter, disrupt and suppress piracy in order to protect global maritime security and secure freedom of navigation for the benefit of all nations. It operates in the Gulf of Aden and the east coast of Somalia.
CMF, with headquarters in Manama, Bahrain, patrols more than 2.5 million square miles of international waters to conduct both integrated and coordinated operations with a common purpose: to increase the security and prosperity of the region by working together for a better future.
| Date Taken: | 05.25.2010 |
| Date Posted: | 05.30.2010 04:43 |
| Story ID: | 50532 |
| Location: | MANAMA, BH |
| Web Views: | 165 |
| Downloads: | 140 |
This work, Australian Warship Disrupts Pirates in Gulf of Aden, by Russell Tafuri, identified by DVIDS, must comply with the restrictions shown on https://www.dvidshub.net/about/copyright.
