EU NAVFOR participates in Major Counter-Piracy Exercise

Jun 12, 2018 - 14:50
EU NAVFOR champions the cooperation and coordination of efforts with civilian and military partners to combat piracy; events such as the recent Counter-Piracy Exercise with the Multi-National Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) demonstrate this.

EU NAVFOR ships and aircraft from Italy, Spain and Germany operated alongside US, Korean and Japanese warships of CMF from 6th to 8th June. They worked towards developing common techniques and coordinated responses for dealing with piracy related events, and practiced how to execute counter-piracy operations and other maritime security related incidences.

Assets from CMF along with EU NAVFOR’s flagship ITS Margottini, ESPS Meteoro and the Spanish and German P-3 Orion Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) tested satellite and radio communications on the first day to ensure fast and efficient flow of information.

Information sharing and using multiple messaging systems are key to planning and conducting a rapid and effective coordinated response against pirate attacks. Various simulated pirate attacks and response serials were conducted throughout the exercise to ensure that if a real attack occurs, the combined response of all available forces in the area can come together and protect maritime trade and other vulnerable shipping transiting the Western Indian Ocean, Gulf of Aden and Southern Red Sea.

If suspected pirates are detained, they could face 30 years in jail if convicted. Hence, practicing boarding operations, looking for criminal activity and recording the crime scene to collect evidence to support cases against suspected piracy events becomes fundamental to any counter-piracy operation.

Exercises such as these are important in helping EU NAVFOR, CMF and Independent Deployers to understand the different approaches used by individual nations and organisations when responding to piracy-related events. Since 2009, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 has been conducting CMF’s counter-piracy operation patrolling the waters throughout the region. CTF151 exercises with EU NAVFOR and regional partners that can keep on “doing more together” in the fight against piracy around the Horn of Africa and the Gulf of Aden.

 

 

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