NATO maritime force to take on pirates plaguing shipping lanes off Africa
LONDON — NATO plans to send a maritime mission to battle pirates off
the coast of Somalia.
NATO said it would send its Standing Naval Maritime Group to the Somali
coast in wake of piracy attacks around the Horn of Africa. The alliance said
it had responded to a United Nations request in wake of the capture of a
Ukranian ship loaded with T-72 main battle tanks in September 2008.
"There are still important details to work out, but the bottom line is
there will soon be NATO military vessels off the coast of Somalia deterring
piracy and escorting food shipments," NATO spokesman James Appathurai said.
"That is good news for the Somalis, and good news for international
shipping."
In an Oct. 9 briefing, Appathurai said the NATO force would comprise of
seven ships and would cooperate with the U.S. Navy. He said the Standing
Naval Maritime Group would arrive off the Somali coast by Oct. 23.
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Western countries have called on merchant ships to hire armed guards and
deploy weapons to stop pirates. So far, pirates were said to be holding at
least 12 merchant ships and 240 crew members.
The UN has determined that pirates were preventing international aid,
particularly food, from reaching Somalia. Nearly half of Somali's
population, or three million people, were dependent on food shipments.
Appathurai said UN aid vessels now require escorts to Somalia. He said a
Canadian warship was conducting the mission.
"The United Nations asked for NATO's help to address this problem,"
Appathurai said.
