A team from the USS James Williams boards the cargo vessel Dai Hong Dan to provide medical aid after a fight with pirates. |
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Washington -- Countering piracy, or
any other threat, comes naturally to U.S. Navy personnel patrolling
critical sea lanes around the world, and October was a busy
month for those monitoring pirate activities off the east
coast of Africa.
On October 30, a U.S. Navy destroyer answered
a call for help -- relayed through the International Maritime
Bureau -- from the North Korean crew on a vessel that had
been overtaken by pirates in international waters October
29.
The USS James Williams dispatched
a helicopter to the sugar-laden Dai Hong Dan, poised
60 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, to investigate
the situation.
The helicopter confirmed the plight of the
ship -- the pirates had taken control of the ship’s
bridge while the crew was confined to the steering and engineering
areas -- and the destroyer headed to the scene. Upon its
arrival, the Navy demanded the pirates surrender.
The arrival of U.S. assistance emboldened
the North Koreans to take on the pirates, and a gun battle
ensued that left two pirates dead and five captured. Although
the North Korean crew regained control of their ship, three
members were wounded in the fight.
U.S. Navy medics were invited on board to
treat the wounded. The North Korean sailors were transferred
to the American destroyer for medical treatment and later
returned to their vessel. The five surviving pirates were
kept under guard on the North Korean ship, which returned
to the Somali port of Mogadishu.
A coalition vessel destroyed the two pirate
skiffs so they would not be used again for nefarious purposes.
Piracy is an ongoing problem along the Somali
coast. Some of the pirates are connected to Somali clans
and have been outfitted with sophisticated weapons and tracking
equipment.
MARITIME STRATEGY IS KEY TO COUNTERING PIRACY
For the Navy, safeguarding critical sea
lanes and reacting to conventional threats such as pirates
or terrorists is all part of a day’s work. U.S. Air
Force Lieutenant Colonel Todd Vician, a Pentagon spokesman,
told USINFO that countering piracy is just one
part of a broader maritime security strategy.
The October 30 incident had bilateral implications.
The South Korea press speculated that U.S. assistance to
the North Korean crew may contribute to “a growing
détente” between North Korea and the United
States. A South Korean news agency, Yonhap, said the ship
incident likely will help efforts toward normalized U.S.-North
Korean diplomatic ties. Assistant Secretary of State Christopher
Hill told reporters in Beijing October 31 that he discussed
the pirate incident and the Navy’s intercession during
talks with his North Korean counterpart on the effort to
end the threat of nuclear weapons on the Korean Peninsula.
Navy Commander Lydia Robertson of the U.S.
Fifth Fleet in Bahrain told the Associated Press that the
Navy’s goal is to remove pirates from any transport
vessel so “ships can return to legitimate shipping
traffic and transit.”
A public affairs spokesman with U.S. Central
Command said piracy is “a serious international problem
that requires an international solution.” The Navy,
he said, will continue to work with international organizations
like the Malaysian-based International Maritime Bureau “to
encourage mariners to take necessary precautions to improve
their safety and security.”
U.S. and coalition forces routinely conduct
maritime security operations. Navy Lieutenant Junior Grade
Joseph Holstead said such operations are carried out in
a manner consistent with international law “to help
ensure security and safety in international waters so that
all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting
the region.”
In a separate incident in October, a Panamanian-flagged
ship sent out a distress call in the Gulf of Aden. U.S.
and coalition forces from Australia, France, Germany, Italy,
Pakistan, the United Kingdom and other nations are monitoring
the situation.
Jacquelyn S. Porth
USINFO Staff Writer
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