SAF TASK GROUP HONOURED FOR COUNTER-PIRACY CONTRIBUTIONS IN THE GULF OF ADEN

A critical trade route linking Asia and Europe, the Gulf of Aden is one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world, with an estimated 21,000 vessels passing through every year. In response to a worrying spike in piracy attacks in these waters off the coast of Somalia, several nations - including Singapore, China, India, and the United States - have all dispatched various assets to combat the growing threat.

After a three-month deployment to the hotspot in support of these international counter-piracy operations, the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) task group sailed home to a warm welcome at Changi Naval Base on 31 Jul.

Besides loved ones and colleagues, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for Defence Teo Chee Hean was also present to award the 296 personnel from the task group with the Overseas Service Medal (OSM) in recognition of their contributions.

Mr Teo noted that the international naval ships have certainly made their presence felt with an evident fall in the number of successful hijackings by pirates in the Gulf of Aden - from 28 in the second half of 2008 to 18 in the first half of this year.

"As a maritime nation, Singapore is committed to supporting the international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden. The successful deployment of the task group has demonstrated that Singapore can make a useful and meaningful contribution to these efforts," he said.

Mr Teo added that with the current instability Somalia, it is "vital that these naval operations continue".

Operating as part of the multi-national Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, no pirate attacks occurred in the SAF task group's assigned area of operations, which covers a wide stretch of about 40 to 60 nautical miles.

While in the Gulf of Aden, the task group performed sector patrols to ensure the safety of merchant vessels in the area. Comprising a Landing Ship Tank RSS Persistence, with two Super Puma helicopters on board, they responded to 57 calls for assistance and launched 80 helicopter sorties during the 68 days out at sea.

In addition, they helped to coordinate operations by facilitating information-sharing between CTF 151 and other navies operating in the region such as ships from the People's Liberation Army, shared Colonel Tan Kai Cheong, Commanding Officer of 191 Squadron.

With members of all three Services on board the ship, close cooperation and mutual understanding was of critical importance so as to integrate operating procedures to achieve mission success.

"One of the challenges we faced in the beginning was learning and becoming familiar with the different terms that Navy personnel use. For example, when we are identifying a direction, we might say '12 o'clock' but for the navy, it's '90' because they describe it in degrees," explained First Sergeant (1SG) Sim Cher Chian, Team Second-in-Command from the Army.

"But the intense preparation and training we went through helped us get up to speed quickly and everyone worked very well together during the deployment."

"Not many people get the chance to go on board a warship, and it's been an interesting experience for us to learn more about how the navy operates. For example, we even got a taste of what it's like to steer the ship, draw the charts or find out how the engine room works", 1SG Sim added.

Indeed, it was an opportunity-of-a-lifetime for aircrew specialist Second Sergeant (NS) The Jia Fu, who volunteered to serve beyond his 40 days of In-Camp Training.

"When my squadron called me up in January to tell me about the mission, I told them I was interested on the spot. Luckily, my boss and my parents were very supportive of my decision," said the chemical processing technician. "It was a good opportunity to utilise the skills I learnt as an active serviceman."

Despite having to be away from his family for several months, Operations Officer Major Chang Chiz Hau found the experience to be an extremely meaningful one.

"Although some of the calls for assistance turned out to be false alarms - usually the case of mistaking innocent fishermen for pirates, the whole process was still very meaningful. When I receive the call for help, I can hear and distinctly sense the genuine fear and panic in their voices," he said.

"After we respond and clarify the situation on the ground, you can hear the difference in the tone of their voices. They become more calm and are very appreciative of our efforts, so in this way, I'm glad that we made a difference on the ground."

For the next deployment, Singapore has agreed to the Combined Maritime Forces HQ's request for the SAF to command CTF 151. According to Mr Teo, a Singaporean naval officer, supported by a core command group, will take command of CTF 151 from January to March next year.