Nations step up piracy patrols in Gulf of Aden

[unhappycamper]

Nations step up piracy patrols in Gulf of Aden
By Andrew Scutro - Staff writer
Posted : Saturday Aug 30, 2008 7:57:26 EDT

NORFOLK, Va. — Things are about to get even more intense in the Gulf of Aden, already a perennial global hotspot, as U.S. and allied naval forces clamp down on piracy in the troubled waters.

U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain announced the establishment of a maritime security patrol area in the waters between the coasts of Somalia and Yemen; the area will be patrolled by allied naval forces under Combined Task Force 150.

A natural chokepoint for maritime traffic, pirates have stepped up commercial ship hijacking in the area. The Yemeni port of Aden was where the Norfolk-based destroyer Cole was bombed by suicide terrorists Oct. 12, 2000, and nearly sunk; the explosion killed 17 sailors and wounded 39.

Since then, U.S. warships have mixed it up regularly with pirates, many operating out of lawless Somalia.

Cmdr. Jane Campbell, public affairs officer at 5th Fleet, said the patrol area could be described roughly as a rectangular shape over the Gulf of Aden, with a constant allied naval presence. “The number will vary, but we’ll have ships on station,” she said. “This is not a long-term solution; it’s a short-term, focused operation.”


Rest of article at: http://www.navytimes.com/news/2008/08/navy_piracy_083008w/%2e