SINGAPORE-LED MULTINATIONAL TASK FORCE INTERCEPTS PIRATE SHIP IN ARABIAN SEA

The USS Mason, a US Navy destroyer serving as the flagship of the Singapore-led Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, successfully intercepted a fishing vessel, FV NASRI, which was operating as a pirate mother-ship in the Arabian Sea on 10 Apr.

The fishing vessel, better known as a dhow in the region, was first spotted a day earlier by an Australian Maritime Patrol Aircraft.

Following that initial sighting, the USS Mason - being the nearest warship in the vicinity - was immediately tasked to close in on the suspected pirate vessel and investigate.

The warship and its embarked helicopter caught up with their quarry in the early hours of 10 Apr.

Spotting possible pirate activities, the USS Mason issued verbal warnings to the vessel to stop for its boarding and search of the dhow.

The personnel on the dhow complied and followed instructions to assemble on the deck where they could be seen clearly.

The boarding team from the USS Mason found weapons and other common pirate paraphernalia during their search.

The successful interception of the pirate vessel is significant as these mother-ship dhows are often used as launching pads for the smaller and faster pirate skiffs. These mother-ship dhows enable the pirates to sustain themselves longer and operate further out at sea.

Commander CTF 151, Rear-Admiral (RADM) Harris Chan from the Republic of Singapore Navy, praised the coalition effort, saying: "The success of this operation is testament to the operational readiness of CTF 151 and its units."

He said the successful mission had demonstrated that "we are able to respond swiftly to disrupt any pirate activity, and will continue in our efforts to ensure the security of maritime commerce in this region."

The Singapore Armed Forces took over command of the CTF 151 for the second time on 31 Mar. The first command, under RADM Bernard Miranda, took place from January to April last year.

CTF 151 is a multi-national task force established by the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) in January 2009 to conduct counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, Somali Basin and Arabian Sea.

The task force oversees an area of about 4,000 times the size of Singapore, and coordinates its operations with other multinational naval forces such as the Standing North Atlantic Treaty Organisations Maritime Groups, European Naval Forces, and independently deployed navies to promote maritime security in the region.