'Threat has not gone away': Navy hands over command of counter-piracy task group

A Royal Navy-led task group has handed over the reins to the Republic of Korea during a ceremony in Bahrain after spending time dealing with resurgent piracy in the Indian Ocean amid the conflict in the Middle East. 

While Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151) could not prevent the seizure of a tanker last week, the multinational group has been involved in more than two dozen piracy-related incidents over the past six months, as attacks have reached a 10-year high. 

'Pirate action groups', typically using a mothership and a pair of skiffs armed with boarding ladders, AK-47s, and rocket-propelled grenades, repeatedly attacked merchant shipping between 2005 and 2013. 

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There was an effort to remove pirate activity, but the threat has never been destroyed. 

Furthermore, the root causes, including poverty, lawlessness and the collapse of the Somali fishing industry, have not been dealt with. 

"Our collective naval presence, alongside the European Union's Operation Atalanta, has made a difference despite the broader tensions in the region," said CTF 151's outgoing Commanding Officer Captain Jase Eacock, the Royal Navy's second most senior officer in the Middle East. 

"Deterrence works, but the threat has not gone away, and there is still much to do. 

"It has been both an honour and a privilege to command Combined Task Force 151 on behalf of the United Kingdom."

Pirates have been probing and approaching merchants due to the world's focus being on reopening the Strait of Hormuz since the Iran war started in February and the continuing threat to shipping in the Red Sea from Houthi rebels. 

The 17 ships and units assigned to the task group during the Royal Navy's tenure carried out close to 70 intelligence-gathering patrols to create a comprehensive picture of potential illegal activity across the region.

Capt Eacock has also used experts from seven other nations to choreograph the task force's activities from Bahrain. 

What is CTF 151? 

CTF 151, which was created in 2009, is responsible for more than three million square miles of ocean, with a particular emphasis on the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa. 

It is one of five naval groups, each with a specific mission, such as mine warfare, or counter-terrorism, operating under the banner of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), a coalition of 47 nations committed to security at sea in the Middle East. 

CTF 151's main aim is to reduce the threat of piracy to merchant shipping in the region.

How is the group organised? 

The multinational force has its command switched once every three to six months. 

Some of the countries that have overseen CTF 151 include Bahrain, Brazil, Denmark, Jordan, New Zealand, Turkey and the United States. 

What measures can CTF 151 use to deter piracy? 

According to the CMF, the measures that CTF 151 can deploy include: 

:: A 24-hour lookout

:: Reporting suspicious activity

:: Taking away access ladders

:: The utilisation of deck lighting, netting, razor wire, electrical fencing, fire hoses, surveillance and detection equipment

:: Escaping an attack through manoeuvring their vessels

:: Placing contracted armed security personnel onboard.