NATO counter piracy operation OCEAN SHIELD

Operation Ocean Shield, NATO’s contribution to international efforts to combat piracy off the Horn of Africa, commenced 17 August 2009 after the North Atlantic Council (NAC) approved the mission. Operation Ocean Shield builds on the experience gained during Operation Allied Protector, NATO’s previous counter piracy mission, and develops a distinctive NATO role based on the broad strength of the Alliance by adopting a more comprehensive approach to counter piracy efforts.

Operation OCEAN SHIELD will in conjunction with other actors and organisations, enhance the security of commercial maritime routes and international navigation off the Horn of Africa. The operation is designed to suppress the incidence of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin to an acceptable level of economic impact until the regional states develop and effectively employ sufficient capacity to assume the counter piracy mission from NATO, or the root causes of piracy off the Horn of Africa are eliminated. While at-sea counter piracy operations will continue to be the focus, a new element of regional-state counter piracy capacity building has been developed for Operation Ocean Shield. NATO’s capacity building effort will aim to assist regional states, upon their request, in developing their own ability to combat piracy activities. This element of the operation is designed to complement existing international efforts and will contribute to a lasting maritime security solution off the Horn of Africa.

The NATO Shipping Centre will actively engage with the maritime community promote increased awareness of schemes to improve the security of commercial shipping and encourage the use of onboard anti piracy measures to defend against possible pirate attack. Information sharing is key to success and the NSC, as an information hub in its communications with the maritime community as well as with other organisations (e.g. Intertanko, Intercargo, BIMCO, IMB, IMO, UN WFP), will establish and maintain a dialogue with these maritime community stakeholders. This will be conducted in close cooperation with the other main military actors in the region such as: EU NAVFOR; UK Maritime trade Organisation (UK MTO, Dubai); Maritime Liaison Office (MARLO, Bahrain) and individual nations. Keeping close liaisons with all organisations and with the maritime community will also enable the NSC to monitor developments and implementation of new initiatives (such as maritime security measures) and provide advice.

(Source: Transport Weekly)