Canadian Navy to Escort World Food Programme Ship

[Nfld Sapper]

News Release
Canadian Navy to Escort World Food Programme Ship
NR 09-028 - April 17, 2009

OTTAWA—The Government of Canada has authorized  Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg, currently conducting counter-piracy operations in the coastal region of Somalia, to conduct a naval escort of a UN World Food Programme (WFP) ship carrying life-saving supplies to Somalia. The government is acting on a request from the UN World Food Programme and UN International Maritime Organization, submitted through the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

“The Government of Canada is pleased to help ensure that the people of Somalia receive the food and supplies they so urgently need,” said the Honourable Peter Gordon MacKay, Minister of National Defence and the Atlantic Gateway. “Through the brave work of the men and women serving in HMCS Winnipeg, Canada is once again able to make a difference by ensuring the safe arrival of World Food Programme supplies.”

The WFP is responding to urgent humanitarian needs in Somalia and aims to feed some 3.5 million Somalis in 2009. Ninety per cent of WFP food assistance for Somalia arrives by sea.  While pirates have launched more than 79 attacks in 2009 on vessels off Somalia’s eastern and northern coasts, naval escorts have so far proven very effective in deterring pirate attacks on food aid shipments.  To date, no WFP-contracted ships have been targeted while under escort. Naval escorts have been provided by Canada, France, Denmark and the Netherlands, among others, over the last year. Somalia has been beset by instability and insecurity for almost 20 years and is further affected by regional drought and increasing world food prices.
"The ability of the Canadian Forces to respond to such requests only demonstrates the agility of our military and Canada’s determination to support these international relief efforts," said General Walt Natynczyk, Chief of the Defence Staff.

On March 31, 2009, HMCS Winnipeg commenced Operation SEXTANT, Canada’s maritime contribution to the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), in a NATO-led counter-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.  She will continue in her piracy deterrence role with NATO while escorting the World Food Programme ship.

As part of Canada’s commitment to maintaining security in the region, HMCS Ville de Québec completed 10 escort missions between Aug. 6 and Oct. 23, 2008, ensuring the safe delivery of 36, 200 metric tons of food to Somalia.  Canada also deployed HMCS Iroquois, HMCS Calgary, and HMCS Protecteur from April- October 2008 to Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, a multinational coalition fleet of six to ten warships from a variety of nations formed to conduct maritime security operations southeast of the Strait of Hormuz, the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea to the Suez Canal and portions of the Indian Ocean.

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Note to editors:

For more information on Operation SEXTANT, visit: http://www.cefcom.forces.gc.ca/pa-ap/ops/sextant/index-eng.asp

Photos of HMCS Winnipeg's mission can be viewed at www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca

B-roll available at http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/news/

 

[The Bread Guy]

Shared in accordance with the "fair dealing" provisions, Section 29, of the Copyright Act.

Canadian PM praises crew for foiling pirate attack
Agence France Presse, 19 Apr 09
Article link

PORT OF SPAIN (AFP) — Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper on Sunday praised the crew of a Canadian warship that helped chase down pirates off Somalia who had tried to attack a Norwegian tanker.

Speaking at the end of a Summit of the Americas in Trinidad and Tobago, Harper congratulated the personnel on the HMCS Winnipeg that, along with a British vessel also conducting NATO patrols of the pirate-infested zone, foiled the attack.

The Winnipeg crew was doing "tremendous work" in the Gulf of Aden he told reporters.

Their frigate pursued the pirate ship for seven hours after the British vessel scared it away from the 80,000-ton tanker on Saturday.

The pirates were finally caught early Sunday after throwing their weapons overboard, NATO officials said. After being questioned, they were released because they were outside Canada's jurisdiction and NATO has no mandate to make arrests.

"We obviously act within our legal authority and also within our capacities," Harper said.

"As you know we did briefly detain pirates and disarm them and I think those were appropriate measures under the circumstances. Obviously Canada uses force but only when necessary."

More from the BBC, CBC.ca, the Christian Science Monitor's blog, and the Associated Press.