On Friday 12 October 2012 Romanian frigate ROS Regele Ferdinand, operating within the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), provided an escort to a ship from the World Food Programme (WFP) between two Somali ports.
The ships rendezvoused shortly after dawn and a team from Regele Ferdinand travelled to the WFP vessel to discuss the details of the escort. Shortly afterwards, ROS Regele Ferdinand took up station a safe distance from the WFP ship, with the Force Protection Teams carefully monitoring all vessels in the vicinity.
Whilst escorting the WFP vessel the frigate’s Puma helicopter spotted a suspect vessel and was tasked to investigate further. A team from the ROS Regele Ferdinand was also launched in two RHIBs to conduct a ‘friendly approach’ to the suspect vessel. Upon closer inspection the vessel was discovered to be a fishing dhow, with no indications of a connection to piracy. The presence of the helicopter proved, once again, to be a key capability, enabling the warship to conduct the escort task and the investigation of the dhow simultaneously.
Friendly approaches/boardings are conducted to gather intelligence by speaking with the fishing communities and trading vessels in the area of operations, and to help make masters and crews aware of Best Management Practices (BMP) for protection against pirates in the region.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff,October 18, 2012; Image: EU Navfor