2009 Operation Ocean Shield Archive News Articles
27 Nov 09
NATO, EUNAVFOR and Coalition Task Force Commanders Coordinate
Counter-Piracy Fighting off the Coast of Somalia
On 21st November,
while conducting counter-piracy operations off
the Coast of Somalia, Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group One –
Rear-Admiral Pereira da Cunha, Coalition Task Force Commander
Rear-Admiral Scott Sanders and Commodore Pieter Bindt from the European
Naval Force held a counter-piracy coordination meeting
on
board the NATO flagship NRP Álvares Cabral.
Following
a short opening regarding the actual piracy situation and the
international efforts to tackle the problem of piracy off the coast of
Somalia the meeting went into the coordination of operations between all
the biggest three international Commanders in the area of operations.
All agreed that the coordination and concentration of effort is the key
to success, not only within traditional maritime partners but with all
the other national efforts present in the area of operation, as well as
the increasing protection measures adopted by the merchant shipping
community – “the forging of
close working relations and the sharing of information with all the
parts involved is paramount for the success of the global fight against
piracy,” said RADM Pereira da Cunha, NATO Task Force Commander. This
meeting has settled the way ahead, being the mutual support the base to
all future maritime counter-piracy operations.
Pictures.
03 Nov 09
NATO flagship evacuates casualty from merchant ship in pirate waters
03 Nov 09
Secretary General of NATO visits Libeccio in Abu Dhabi
On
Friday 30th October 2009, the Secretary General of NATO, Mr Anders
Fogh Rasmussen was a guest of the Italian frigate LIBECCIO in Abu Dhabi.
He was accompanied by the Chairman of the North Atlantic Military
Commitee (NAC), Admiral Giampaolo Di Paola, the Permanent
Representatives of Nations on the North Atlantic Council and many
ministers from the United Arab Emirates. This visit was organized as
part of the Istanbul Cooperation Initiative (ICI) Members conference.
The guests were presented with a current update on the NATO
counter-piracy mission, Operation Ocean Shield by the Commanding Officer
of LIBECCIO, Commander
Alberto Sodomaco and the Deputy Commander of MCC Northwood, Admiral
Hans-Jochen Witthauer. After the meeting, the Secretary General of NATO
delivered a speech to the crew of LIBECCIO. He commended the crew for
the “excellent contribution they are making to the Alliance security and
stability” and finally concluded by saying “the North Atlantic Council
has awarded the ONATO non-Article 5 medal, inscribed with Africa to
demonstrate their gratitude to you – the brave men and women in uniform
for the outstanding job you are all doing on behalf of the Alliance.”
The LIBECCIO will be back home in Italy, just before Christmas 2009
after six months of deployment.
26 Oct 09
Counter Piracy
Commanders meet in Gulf of Aden
OfficerThe
Commanding Officers of the three largest Counter Piracy Task Forces in
the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean met on board the EUNAVFOR flagship
HNLMS Evertsen on October 26 in the Internationally Recommended Transit
Corridor in the Gulf of Aden, one of the world’s busiest shipping routes
between the Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
Commodore Steve Chick, Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG
2) met Commodore Pieter Bindt, Force Commander of the European Naval
Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) and Rear Admiral Scott Sanders, Commander of
the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) to evaluate their recent
initiatives to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of their
combined counter piracy forces and discuss ways ahead for continuous
improvement. Despite three different, but overlapping, mandates they
have a common goal to deter piracy.
Presently there are approximately 27 ships from 16 different nations
conducting counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia in the
Gulf of Aden and the Indian Ocean. They are part of EU NAVFOR, NATO, CTF
151, or nationally deployed, like Japan, China, India and Saudi Arabia.
Piracy and its threat to commerce, regional stability, and freedom of
navigation is something that governments, worldwide, are concerned
about.
Currently, four ships have been hijacked in the Somali Basin during
October while in the Gulf of Aden there have been no hijacks. However,
the efforts of merchant ships increasingly committing to the best
management practices, the activities of the counter piracy forces and
the efforts of the regional authorities, managed to keep the vast
majority of ships transiting through this huge area safe.
All three Commanders agree that the solution is in stability and a rule
of law on land and a regional capacity to deter, disrupt and protect
against pirate attacks.
Press Release
16 Oct 09
NATO ship saves
Somali fishermen
Early
yesterday morning the Italian frigate, Libeccio, rescued three Somali
fishermen who had been adrift in the Gulf of Aden for 14 days and had
run out of food and water.
ITS Libeccio, part of NATO’s counter piracy operation, Ocean Shield was
patrolling in the
Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) when it
spotted a skiff with three people on board. Approaching the skiff, it
became obvious that the people were in a great deal of distress, very
hungry and suffering from dehydration. Libeccio then sent out a team of
sailors to assist.
Lt Cdr Jacqueline Sherriff, Chief Public Affairs Officer at NATO’s
Maritime HQ in Northwood said: “ We are pleased that one of our NATO
ships has been able to rescue these fishermen and return them home to
their families.
NATO ships are in the Gulf of Aden as Operation Ocean Shield which aims
to defend and protect fishermen and maritime trade from the scourge of
piracy. It is crucial that the seaways remain safe”
The three fishermen on board were relieved to see a NATO warship coming
to their rescue. ITS Libeccio’s technical team tried to repair the
engine but established that it was not possible so took them and their
skiff on board and gave them some food and water.
The skiff had left Caluula on 28 September planning to be at sea for 2
or 3 days. However, on the second day the engine stopped working and
they remained adrift for two weeks having run out of water after 10
days.
The three fishermen aged 60, 61 and 25 were taken to Boosasso.
Press Release
24 Sep 09
NATO works with Somali
authorities
NATO,
together other international actors, has established a close working
relationship with the Puntland Coastguard. The idea of this joint
cooperation is to enhance the knowledge of the international
counter-piracy community, while providing assistance to the Coastguard.
HMS Cornwall and USS Donald Cook have both embarked Coastguard Officers
for short periods – and this is proving to be highly successful.
Identifying areas from where pirates may launch their operations is one
way to curtail this illegal activity. Once the pirates are at sea in
their small skiffs they are difficult to identify from honest fisherman,
although working closely with our allies it has been possible to develop
a profile on who they are. Merchant shipping is now taking more robust
methods to avoid capture, including enhanced lookouts, skilled
manoeuvring and working with the maritime forces. They are aided by the
robust stance of the naval forces, acting under both UNSCRs and their
obligation under UNCLOS, who monitor all shipping and provide protection
to the more vulnerable shipping.
It is expected the pirates will renew their efforts once the monsoon
conditions ease across the Somali basin, but the navies of the world are
waiting to take the necessary action to disrupt the nefarious actions of
the pirates. NATO, along with the other maritime coalitions, is prepared
to act, working under the counter-piracy mission, Operation Ocean
Shield. Whilst acknowledging the root cause of piracy is ashore, the
pirates are set for a difficult time once they venture back onto the
high seas. Working with Somali authorities in support of their own
resolve to rid their shores of this scourge has shown early signs of
success.
Piracy is crime, pure and simple, and needs to be stopped. Whatever the
initial reasons (or excuses) to hold the busy shipping lanes to ransom,
the world has shown it is prepared to act. NATO continues to seek other
channels through Ocean Shield where it can make a real difference.
Working with regional ministers has also proved to be successful,
allowing them to discuss the important issues, and then sharing this
information with our partners for a coherent response. This is just a
start. With 60 years of experience and coalition building, NATO is well
placed to make things happen.
11 Sep 09
NATO meeting with Puntland Regional Adminsitration
Commodore Steve Chick Royal Navy, Commander Standing NATO Maritime Group
2, hosted a meeting focused on piracy on board HMS Cornwall with
officials of Puntland’s regional administration. Engagement with local
officials is one of the areas that NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield can
make a real difference to alleviate the ongoing piracy problem.
Three Puntland officials attended, including Muhammad Farah Adan
(Minister of Fisheries), together with 3 Coastguard Officers.
The talks ended successfully with NATO and Puntland officials agreeing
to cooperate in combating pirates operating along the Somali coast. To
consolidate this new cooperation, Coastguard Officers remained on board
for a short patrol along the Puntland coastline which helped to identify
a number of possible pirate staging posts.
09 Sep 09
CTF 508 meets on board Indian ship INS Mumbai
14 Aug 09
Combined NATO – EU Operation Foils Piracy Attack
Dramatic events in the Gulf of Aden last night demonstrated the level of
co-operation that now exists between the international counter piracy
forces in that region. Following an approach by pirates, the Turkish
flagged merchant vessel ELGIZ NUR CEBI issued a distress call. The
rapid, determined and coordinated response by both NATO and EU forces
however foiled the attack.
The Commander of the NATO Task Force, Commodore Steve Chick Royal Navy
said:
‘With warships patrolling the International Recognized Transit Corridor
and surveillance aircraft operating overhead we now have the ability to
seamlessly co-ordinate our response to any pirate attack with the EU and
other international counter piracy forces’
In this case both NATO and the European Union Maritime Force (EUMARFOR)
units swept into action. Closest to the scene, the NATO warship HS
NAVARINON, quickly closed in on pirate craft. In a co-ordinated action
with a helicopter from the German warship FGS BREMEN, working for
EUMARFOR, the pirate craft was quickly stopped in the water.
Specially trained boarding teams from HS NAVARINON boarded the vessel
and went on to find extensive stocks of weapons including RPGs and other
piracy equipment.
Commodore Chick continued:
‘The variety of weapons found in the pirate craft today demonstrates the
dangers that these pirates pose to merchant ships and their crew.
Successful hijackings usually follow a prolonged attack by small arms
and sometimes RPGs. In these circumstances the risk of injury or death
of the crew is very real. As a minimum we will always take measures to
ensure that their weapons are destroyed so as to deny their future use.’
Whilst the pirates were being dealt with by the 2 warships, a French
MPA, also working for EUMARFOR conducted an area search to locate any
potential pirate support ships operating in the area; none were found on
this occasion. The NATO Warship TCG GEDIZ closed the merchant vessel to
provide any assistance that might have been required. Further afield,
other merchant traffic was alerted to the increased risk of attack from
the UK Maritime Trade Organisation operations centre based in Dubai.
Commodore Chick said:
‘This incident is an excellent example of how far the collaboration
between the international counter piracy forces has developed over the
last year. The use of common communication systems and the rapid
exchange of information between our forces fully underpins our ability
to deal robustly with the piracy threat.’
14 Aug 09
NATO works with Somali
officials
Regional
government and law enforcement representatives from Somalia visited the
NATO flagship HMS CORNWALL yesterday off the port of Boosaaso. The
delegation, headed by the Minister of Ports and Marine Transport, Mr
Abdil Irazaq Gaaiyte met the NATO Task Force Commander, Commodore Steve
Chick CBE Royal Navy. The meeting was the first direct engagement
between the Boosaaso authorities and the NATO Task Force since its
arrival in the region on 29 Jun 09.
The purpose of the visit was to establish a working relationship between
NATO, the Government, Bari regional authorities and local law
enforcement agencies. Following briefs by both parties much common
ground and opportunity to co-operate further was identified.
The Task Force Commander, Commodore Steve Chick Royal Navy said:
‘I welcome the opportunity to work with the Minister and his colleagues
from Boosaaso and the Bari Region. The purpose of today’s meeting is to
work out how our efforts can best be combined to deter piracy and
disrupt any attacks before they take place. Although they operate from
shore and we at sea, there is a shared goal; that is stopping piracy and
the damage that it brings not only to international shipping but also to
Somalia as a whole. There is much common ground and we must use this
opportunity to align our efforts as best we can to bring maximum
pressure on the pirates and those that support them’
One area of co-operation that can be quickly implemented is the exchange
of information between the counter piracy forces ashore and those at
sea.
Whilst NATO and other international forces are able to deter and disrupt
pirate attacks far out at sea, real success will only be achieved if the
pirates can be stopped before they depart from the beaches in the first
place. That is where the potential for frequent and rapid exchanges of
information between NATO and the shore authorities will be key. Early
information about pirate movements from the coast will better enable
warships to intercept them prior to them reaching their victims, often
in the international shipping lanes. Reciprocal information from NATO
warships can be of great value in enabling pirates to be captured by
shore authorities as they return from their attempts at piracy.
The Commodore continued:
‘NATO and other warships will provide regular information about pirate
activities at sea, beyond the range of the Coast Guard and law
enforcement agencies. In return they can provide us with the details of
suspicious activity that happens inshore. Together we will build up a
better picture and can react more quickly to incidents’
During the meeting, Abdiwahid Mohamed Hersi, Director General of
Fisheries, Ports and Marine Resources, explained the damage that piracy
was inflicting on the country as a whole. The spread of crime inland,
the soaring coast of commodities, and the damage to traditional Somali
society all have their roots in piracy.
It is as a result of these issues and the need to secure the safety of
shipping in the Gulf of Aden that NATO has deployed one of its 2
Standing Maritime Groups to the region. The original mission ‘Operation
Allied Protector’ commenced in Mar 09 in support of UN Security Council
Resolutions was focused on deterrence and disruption of pirate attacks.
The overall aim was to safeguard navigation in the sea lanes adjacent to
Somalia. The opportunity was not missed to help protect vessels engaged
with the World Food Programme, delivering vital humanitarian aid to the
needy ashore. With the increase of piracy and threat to the
strategically important sea lanes NATO is now looking to the future and
seeking to work with local law enforcement agencies to build up regional
capacity.
Commodore Chick said:
‘This is an essential mission that not only provides security to
shipping but also helps reduce the damage that piracy is inflicting on
the people of Somalia. NATO’s efforts fully support the UN Security
Council resolutions and demonstrate the flexibility and capability of
the Alliance in dealing with security challenges around the world’
12 Aug 09
Hands across the Gulf of
Aden
The Commanders of two major Naval Task Forces met yesterday in the Gulf
of Aden to discuss how best to cooperate against the threat of piracy in
the region.
Rear Admiral Wang Zhiguo of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Navy,
Commander Task Force 529, met Commodore Steve Chick (Royal Navy),
Commander of the NATO Task Force onboard the NATO Flagship, HMS
CORNWALL. The meeting took place amidst the growing cooperation and
coordination that is evident amongst the counter piracy forces operating
in the area. Commodore Chick said ‘ Although the PLA Navy and NATO have
different counter piracy methods we are united in the same objective;
that is to prevent and disrupt piracy attacks and protect merchant
shipping’
The PLA Navy approach is to give direct protection to merchant ships by
conducting group transits through the Gulf of Aden. Whilst the vessels
within the groups are usually Chinese flagged, other vessels are welcome
to steam in company with them and benefit from the deterrence provided
by the presence of the Chinese warships.
NATO’ counter piracy mission, Operation Allied Protector and other
multinational forces, including the European Maritime Force and the
Combined Maritime Force, in turn provide protection of other merchant
traffic by policing the International Recommended Transit Corridor.
Commodore Chick continued:‘The combined effect of the transit corridor,
protected by multinational forces and PLA Naval forces conducting group
transits in adjacent waters is formidable. This collaboration provides
marked improvement in our ability to deter and disrupt pirate activity
whilst reassuring merchant traffic. The understanding gained from my
meeting today with Rear Admiral Wang Zhigou has greatly assisted in
generating future mutual cooperation between our two Task Forces’
Close co-operation between NATO and other traditional partners is now
well developed. Disruption of pirate attacks by forces from different
nations is common place and co-ordinated through 3 main Tasks Forces led
by NATO, European Union Maritime Force and the Combined Maritime Force.
Routine and rapid information exchange is key to the success of this
coordinated effort. The implementation of a region wide common reporting
system and radio frequencies means that any indication of pirate
activity is passed rapidly around the forces. This allows much improved
speed of reaction by warships resulting in many pirate attacks being
disrupted before they commence.
Russian, Japanese and Indian forces also operate in the area and provide
protection to groups of merchant ships flagged to their nation. Through
a series of meetings with the respective Task Force Commanders the
co-ordination of effort is improving and more pressure being applied on
the pirates.
Press Release
05 Aug 09
New DCOM returns to NATO operations
Vice Admiral Hans-Jochen Witthauer assumed duties as Deputy
Commander MCC Northwood on 30 July. He brings much NATO and European
operational expertise to the headquarters, having previously served as
Commander of Standing Naval Forces Mediterranean (now SNMG2) and then
more recently as Commander European Union Forces in Bosnia and
Herzegovina. In these roles he was engaged with NATO’s counter terrorism
Operation Active Endeavour and then was responsible for the EU Joint
Operation Althea.
Admiral Witthauer joins Northwood as the HQ continues to run the NATO
counter piracy Operation Allied Protector. Although the weather has
played a large part in hindering piracy for the last 2 months he is
under no illusion as to the challenge ahead. Both SNMG1 and SNMG2 have
delivered a real difference to the region and helped make the pirates
think twice about their illegal activities; however, it is widely
acknowledged that the root cause is ashore and that NATO, and the other
maritime forces, will only ever address the symptoms and never the
cause.
His first impressions are of “a dedicated and focused HQ, enthusiastic
to establish the counter piracy operation as a real output”. He added,
“we are currently trying to make the best use of our available assets in
conjunction with the European union”, and noted, “we are preparing to
take to mission to the next level beyond Allied Protector”.
Musing over future challenges the Admiral considered that “we must
ensure the headquarters rebalances its efforts to deliver its usual
output of framework tasks”, further noting that with a high turnover of
personnel, he “hopes all other handovers were as comprehensive as his
own”.
19 Jun 09
UK assumes command of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2)
The United Kingdom today assumes Command of Standing NATO Maritime Group
2 as Commodore Steve Chick CBE (Royal Navy) embarks in his Flagship, HMS
Cornwall, and takes over responsibility from Admiral Giovanni Gumiero in
the Italian Ship, Durand De La Penne. The change of command took place
alongside the NATO facility in Souda Bay on the Greek island of Crete
following a highly successful year for the Group under Italian
leadership.
The Group, normally referred to as SNMG2, is currently a force
of five ships from Greece, Italy, Turkey, the United Kingdom and the
United States and is traditionally based in the Mediterranean in order
to promote security and stability across the region. However, the new
Command marks a step change in operations as the Group prepares to
transit through the Suez canal in order to conduct NATO’s counter piracy
mission, Operation Allied Protector, off the Horn of Africa, taking over
from the current activities of its sister task group, SNMG1.
Commodore Chick, stated “It is a tremendous privilege to be taking
Command of this well established and well proven Group and I am very
much looking forward to building upon the successes achieved under
Admiral Gumiero. It is an ideal time to be taking over as we ready
ourselves for active operations off the Horn of Africa: our involvement
there, and the genuine difference our presence will make, highlights the
vital relevance of professional and well equipped maritime forces such
as SNMG2 to security on the high seas, as well as the importance of
close international cooperation and commitment that NATO continues to
demonstrate through fielding this highly effective Group on sustained
operations.”
16 Mar 09
35 ships, 15 nations, one successful LIVE EXERCISE
Exercise Loyal Mariner 09 drew to a successful
conclusion on Friday 13 March. Under the command of Rear Admiral Claudio
Gaudiosi, Commander Italian Maritime Forces, the 2 week exercise
exceeded all expectations, testing the maritime units and afloat
maritime staffs by refining the interoperability and integration of
maritime operations.. The objective of the exercise was to train
maritime forces in preparation for their on-call period to perform the
duties of the high readiness NATO Response Force (NRF). The exercise
area consisted of the adjacent Italian territorial waters off the coast
of Sardinia including its airspace.
The exercise also served as a perfect preparation period for the
participating Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1), under the
command of Rear Admiral José Pereira da Cunha (Portuguese Navy), as the
Group prepared for the NATO counter piracy mission, Operation Allied
Protector. They will they proceed on their pre-planned deployment to
South East Asia and Australia as part of a 7-ship task force.
Rear Admiral Hubert Hass, Chief of Staff at Maritime Component Command
(MCC) Northwood, led the situational (or opposing) forces to inject some
realism and unpredictability into proceedings, ensuring the NATO forces
remained adaptive to change. Together with a small staff, he embarked in
the French frigate; Mocalm, and took time to visit Standing NATO Mine
Countermeasure Group One (SNMCMG1) before the start of “hostilities”.
The 35 participating ships represented the broad spectrum of naval
assets,
including an aircraft carrier, amphibious units,
destroyers, frigates, mine countermeasure (MCM) vessels and 3
submarines. The MCM units employed their own command platform, and the
amphibious platform spawned a host of landing craft for the assault on
the xanthic beaches of Sardinia. The Finnish naval vessel; FNS Uusimaa
was evaluated during Loyal Mariner 2009, and her interoperability with
NATO forces was proved, demonstrating her ability to take part in future
international operations using NATO procedures.
The weather played its part proving the Mediterranean is not always a
perfect holiday destination. Strong winds and resulting seas off the
coast of Sardinia caused the media day to be postponed into the second
week, making life quite unpleasant for the smaller vessels. In spite of
this adversity, the MCMs recovered all the pre-laid exercise mines; and
the amphibious landing was a first rate success, demonstrating the close
co-operation between Spanish and Italian marines.
Not content with achieving a solely maritime effect, Loyal Mariner was
linked to Loyal Ledger 09, a land-based Command Post Exercise, which
shared a common high level political scenario within a coherent
timeline. This demonstrated MCC Northwood working in close cooperation
with Land Component Command (LCC) Heidelberg for both the planning and
execution phases, and represents a further step towards better use of
NATO’s valuable resources. Furthermore, Heidelberg trialed the latest
step of NATO transformation – the Deployable Joint Staff Element (DJSE),
which aims to further improve and refine NATO’s deployability and
flexibility to conduct operations.More
pictures