Commander of South Korean Expeditionary Task Group, Captain Sung-Mok Choi, paid a visit to Commander of Combined Task Force 508, Rear Admiral Eugenio Diaz del Rio, aboard the Spanish Naval Vessel, ESPS Alvaro De Bazan, in the Gulf of Aden on 11 January 2014.
The South Korean Navy staff arrived onboard the ship by helicopter. The two staffs exchanged information about counter-piracy operations in the region.
The visit was also an opportunity for the two crews to team up in a visit, boarding, search and seizure (VBSS) exercise and a medical exercise to boost interoperability which is crucial in counter-piracy operations.
NATO has been helping in counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden, off the Horn of Africa and in the Indian Ocean since 2008. NATO also started to provide escorts to the UN World Food Programme vessels passing through the Gulf of Aden and the region in late 2008.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, January 17, 2014; Image: NATO