NEWS
RELEASE
Successful completion of NATO
mission Operation Allied Provider
12
December 2008
Mons,
Belgium – NATO completes its
mission to escort World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessels delivering
humanitarian aid today. NATO
provided an escort on eight occasions which resulted in the safe delivery of
30,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid to
Somalia.
The NATO ships involved in the
eight-week mission were:
- ITS
Durand de la Penne (flagship, Italy)
- HS
Themistokles (Greece)
- HMS
Cumberland (United Kingdom)
- TGS
Gokova (Turkey)
Operation Allied Provider commenced
in October after the North Atlantic Council (NAC) agreed to the UN Secretary
General’s request for assistance.
The NATO task force provided close protection to WFP chartered ships and
conducted deterrence patrols in the area most susceptible to criminal acts
against merchant shipping.
They were supported by various
auxiliary units from several NATO nations. The commitment of over 1000
crewmembers is reflected in the 32,000 miles steamed. The assigned helicopters
flew roughly 150 hours, mainly in the conduct of surveillance missions.
“The decision to run this mission
has set a valuable precedent for our alliance,” said General John Craddock,
Supreme Allied Commander Europe.
“With little time to plan, NATO has completed a very successful
mission. We have demonstrated that
we can react, and quickly, in times of crisis. We need no better example of NATO’s
value in our changing global security environment.”
In a recent update on piracy WFP
said, “More than 2 million Somalis could go hungry without this protection.”
Chartered WFP ships were a frequent target for ransom-seeking privateers but
“since the naval escort system began in November 2007, no pirate attacks have
been launched against ships loaded with WFP food despite 2008 being the worst
year ever for piracy off the Somali coast.”
“NATO ships have demonstrated the
Alliance’s resolve to counter
piracy activities, effectively intervening during pirate attacks to shipping and
preventing several hijackings. We are proud of the work we have accomplished,”
said Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero, Commander, Standing NATO Maritime Group 2.
“To the upcoming EUNAVFOR – mission Atalanta, I would like to offer my best
wishes and future success in their mission,” he added.
NATO is currently
coordinating its long-term strategy regarding its response to incidents of
piracy and stands ready to consider further requests for the use of
Alliance naval assets in this
regard.
-End-
Notes to
editors:
Op Allied Provider information is
available at: http://www.jfcnaples.nato.int/JFCN_Operations/allied_provider/index.htm
SNMG2 information is available at:
http://www.jfcnaples.nato.int/FACTSHEETS/snmg2.htm
Public Affairs, Allied Component
Command Maritime Headquarters Naples: +39 081 721
6521