Text Fwd: Mission of Korean Anti-Piracy Forces Off Somalia Extended

Korea Times
12-29-2009 19:34
Mission of Korean Anti-Piracy Forces Off Somalia Extended
Jung Sung-ki, Staff Reporter

The National Assembly passed a motion Tuesday to extend the mission of the Navy's anti-piracy Cheonghae Unit, which is in waters off Somalia, until the end of next year.

Since its deployment in March, the 300-strong unit has successfully escorted more than 300 domestic and foreign cargo ships through the troubled waters and thwarted nine attempts by pirates to hijack ships.

The contingent consists of a 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyer, a Lynx anti-submarine helicopter and a group of 30 UDT/SEAL forces.

Last month, a third contingent left for the Somali littorals as part of a four-month rotation.

The KDX-II destroyer is equipped with an Mk 45 127mm gun, harpoon ship-to-surface missiles, RAM Mk 31 ship-to-air guided missiles, and a 30mm Goalkeeper system for engaging sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. Built in 2003, the 150-meter-long, 17-meter-wide ship has a top speed of 29 knots. Located along the route of a crude-oil pipeline connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and racked by civil war, Somalia has become infamous for piracy.

Each year, about 20,000 ships sail through the Gulf of Aden headed for the Suez Canal, an important shipping route for international trade that links Europe to the Middle East and Asia. The International Maritime Organization counted 111 attacks in 2008 in waters near Somalia, the most notorious location for piracy in the world.

gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr