Russia's Next Task Force to resume Anti-piracy Mission in late July

Russia announced Wednesday it was sending more ships to the Gulf of Aden to protect merchant ships from Somali pirates. A third task force from Russia's Pacific Fleet will arrive in late July in the Gulf of Aden to ensure security in the pirate-infested waters, a Navy official said on Wednesday.

He said the new task force, comprising the Admiral Tributs destroyer with two helicopters, a salvage tug, a tanker, and a naval infantry unit, had left the fleet base in Vladivostok on June 29 and was currently crossing the South China Sea.
The navy official said a destroyer with a unit of marines sailed from Vladivostok June 29 and would arrive in the area late this month.

The task force also includes a tanker and a salvage tug and is the third Russian unit to be assigned to the international anti-piracy patrols, the RIA Novosti news agency reported. Russia has already contributed two other destroyers and a frigate to the mission.
Somalia has been without an effective government since the Revolutionary Socialist Party was overthrown in 1991. The internationally recognized federal government controls only the capital city of Mogadishu and part of central Somalia.

The Russian Navy joined international anti-piracy efforts off Somali coast in October 2008. Three warships have so far participated in the mission - the Baltic Fleet's Neustrashimy (Fearless) frigate, and the Pacific Fleet's Admiral Vinogradov and Admiral Panteleyev destroyers.

Around 35 warships from the navies of 16 countries are currently deployed off Somalia's coast to counter frequent pirate attacks on vital commercial lanes. According to the United Nations, Somali pirates carried out at least 120 attacks on ships in 2008 alone.

Source:Ecoterra, July 9, 2009

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