Task Force 151

U.S. Navy Rear Adm. Scott Sanders, Vice Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command and Royal Navy Capt. Keith Blount, chief of staff of Combined Task Force 151 spoke with reporters about the status of anti-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa on Friday, September 11. I participated in the press briefing described in this story.

Task Force 151 is part of a multi-national effort to protect shipping for intense pirate activity originating in the nation of Somalia. While the United States Navy and the Royal Navy have provided the core units for the Task Force, other allied navies have also participated with ships, aircraft and personnel. TF 151 is joined in its mission by naval units of the European Union, NATO and a number of independent efforts from countries such as Russia, mainland China and Iran.

Adm. Sanders discussed the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor. The latest version of the IRTC was established in February 2009. It is about 500 miles long and 6 miles wide. Running along the Yemeni coast, it is designed to provide a safer transit route for shipping, away from fishing grounds and away from the Somali coast.

Sanders is quite proud that there have been no successful piracies of ships in the corridor that followed the suggested guidelines and followed the recommended safety and more robust response protocols aboard ship. Sanders characterized the sailors of these merchant vessels as courageous in the defense of their vessels.

The recommendations are designed to deter pirates from boarding vessels, and if a ship is boarded, to allow the various naval vessels time to respond. Attempts to pirate such vessels in the IRTC have been made but all have failed.

The Admiral made it clear that other vessels have been seized by pirates. While TF-151 and the other navies do their best, the merchant vessels that do not follow best practices risk being taken.

Last week, a skiff was spotted and stopped by the combined efforts of several navies. A Japanese P-3 aircraft first spotted the suspicious ship. A helicopter off a ship from the Republic of Korea investigated. German and Greek ships provided additional assets. A boarding party from a Norwegian ship did search the skiff.

The Norwegians found a "fishing vessel" with no fishing gear. It carried weapons, ladders and other materials associated with piracy. All of the weapons and material were confiscated and the Somalis with their skiff were sent home.

Captain Blount, a veteran of naval activity off the Iraqi coast, talked about the Coast Guards' of the nations in the region. The Kenyans are working closely with TF-151. There is a meeting scheduled for September 12 with officers of the Yemeni Coast Guard to build that relationship. In a week or two, TF-151 personnel will be meeting with officials in the Seychelles with a similar agenda.

Blount discussed the announcement that the Somali government was intent on creating its own Coast Guard. He welcomed the move and TF-151 would be open to discussions and perhaps some level of assistance at the right time.

Both Rear Admiral Sanders and Captain Blount stressed the extraordinary level of communication and cooperation among all of the nations conducting anti-piracy operations in the Gulf. Sanders stated that regardless of other political conflicts, controlling piracy was a common interest for all of these nations.