Hmas Toowoomba Disarms Pirate Threat
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Government - Defence Press Release23rd September 2009, 03:42pm - Views: 804
 DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545 MSPA 307/09 Wednesday, 23 September 2009 HMAS TOOWOOMBA DISARMS PIRATE THREAT IN THE GULF OF ADEN HMAS Toowoomba has successfully thwarted a piracy attack by answering a call for assistance and conducting a boarding of a suspect vessel, 50 miles off the coast of Yemen in the Gulf of Aden. Late on Sunday night Australian time (September 20), Toowoomba responded to an emergency radio call from the Merchant Vessel BBC Portugal, which reported sighting a boat carrying a group of armed individuals closing at high speed. Under the command of Commander Ivan Ingham, Toowoomba immediately responded to the developing situation by moving to the scene at high speed to investigate and provide assistance. “While Toowoomba closed in, a coalition P3 Orion maritime surveillance aircraft and a naval helicopter from another coalition warship joined the scene and provided surveillance of the suspect vessel. The helicopter crew confirmed sighting weapons and also reported that the crew of the suspect vessel was seen disposing of several items including a ladder as the helicopter arrived at the scene,” Commander Ingham said. “On reaching the suspect vessel, Toowoomba launched her boarding team to investigate, search, disarm and seize.” “The quick response by HMAS Toowoomba and the coalition helicopter ensured that the incident did not escalate into a direct attack on the merchant vessel. Further, the ship’s presence in very close proximity to the scene ensured that the persons suspected of planning acts of piracy were not able to resist the arrival of our boarding party and ensured that our teams were able to conduct a thorough and effective search,” Commander Ingham said. The search of the suspect vessel revealed a cache of weapons including a Rocket Propelled Grenade launcher (RPG), six AK47 Assault Rifles, a G3 Assault Rifle and a large quantity of ammunition. Routine questioning of the persons suspected of planning acts of piracy by Toowoomba’s boarding party confirmed that the occupants of the suspect vessel were from nearby Somalia. The occupants denied their intention to attack the merchant vessel and denied planning piracy activities. “The boarding party was instructed to disarm the suspect pirates and confiscate their lethal military weapons. Once this had been achieved, Toowoomba’s personnel confirmed the suspect vessel had sufficient food, water and fuel to make the return journey back to Somalia,” Commander Ingham said. DEFENCE MEDIA RELEASE Issued by Ministerial Support and Public Affairs, Department of Defence, Canberra, ACT Phone: 02 6127 1999, Fax: 02 6265 1545 Media Releases are available via e-mail if you register at www.defence.gov.au/media “With the incident averted and the threat removed, we directed them to depart from the shipping lanes of the International Recommended Transit Corridor and sent them back to where they came from. “It is Australian Government policy to deter, warn, intercept and disarm those vessels and persons suspected of engaging in acts of piracy. “This approach provides an effective measure to reduce an immediate threat posed by these types of groups operating in the area. This policy is also in keeping with the practice of our coalition partners and other navies operating against piracy in the region,” Commander Ingham said. There were no casualties as a result of the successful operation. “This was Toowoomba’s first anti-piracy swoop since moving down to the Gulf of Aden from the Northern Arabian Sea two weeks ago. I was very pleased with the focus and professionalism my personnel showed in responding to this incident. It highlights our round the clock readiness and emphasises the importance of the tasking the RAN is currently undertaking,” Commander Ingham said. “The success of this operation was testimony to our training and the close and effective liaison with have established with our coalition partners.” HMAS Toowoomba is now continuing with counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden region. Australia’s contribution to international counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa includes three embedded staff officers at the Coalition Force Maritime Component Command Headquarters, two RAAF AP-3C maritime patrol aircraft and the Anzac Class frigate, HMAS Toowoomba. Media Note: Interviews with the Commanding Officer of HMAS Toowoomba, Ivan Ingham, can be arranged by contacting Defence Media. Vision will be fed to Parliament House. Imagery is available at http://www.defence.gov.au/media/galleries/index.htm. Media contact: Defence Media Liaison: 02 6127 1999 or 0408 498 664 |
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