South Korea will deploy a 4,500-tonne Destroyer to Somali Waters

South Korea announced Tuesday it will deploy a 4,500-tonne destroyer to Somali waters in mid-July to replace one that has operated there under a U.S.-led multinational anti-piracy campaign since April, Yonhap news agency said.

In naval terminology, a destroyer is a fast and maneuverable yet long-endurance warship intended to escort larger vessels in a fleet, convoy or battle group and defend them against smaller, short-range but powerful attackers (originally torpedo boats, later submarines and aircraft).

The Dae Jo Yeong will depart on July 16 and is expected to join the Combined Task Force on Aug 22, South Korea's Yonhap quoted the Ministry of National Defense, as saying in a report to the National Assembly.

The Munmu the Great left for the Gulf of Aden in March, and has since convoyed 28 South Korean commercial vessels and conducted six rescue operations, including one that involved a North Korean ship.

The Dae Jo Yeong belongs to the same class as the Munmu the Great. It was commissioned in 2003 and can travel at a maximum speed of 29 knots. The Munmu the Great was deployed mainly to protect South Korean vessels in the region where approximately 500 such ships ply the route each year. About 150 of them are vulnerable to pirate attacks because of their low speed, according to the ministry.

Somalia has not had a functional government since its dictator was overthrown by warlords in 1991. Poverty has driven a large number of locals to piracy, while black market sales of weapons run rampant.

Over 710 South Korean soldiers are operating either as peacekeepers under a U.N. mandate or as part of multinational security campaigns across the world, the report said.

Source:Ecoterra, July 1, 2009

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