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Pentagon skeptical Russian ships will join U.S.-led effort to tame Somali pirates
01/27/2009The Pentagon has expressed skepticism that Russian battleships will join the 151st Operative Division of the U.S. 5th Fleet set up to confront Somali pirates. In a briefing for journalists, a spokesman for the U.S. 5th Fleet, which is based in Bahrain, Commander James Campbell, said that at the moment no foreign ship has joined the division, which will be commanded by Rear Admiral Terry McKnight, even though such plans were in the works.
At the moment, some 20 ships from countries including Great Britain, France, India, Iran, Canada, and China are involved in various efforts to put an end to the activities of pirates off African coasts, in the gulfs of Aden and Oman, as well as in the Arabian and Red seas. The first Russian ship to patrol these waters was the Frigate Neustrashimy. It was replaced in January by the Admiral Vinogradov.
According to Campbell, the ships of U.S. allies have yet to receive orders from their respective governments on joining the 151st division. Concerning Russia and China, “I don’t know, whether their ships will ever join us,” the spokesman said.
The commanders of various ships from different countries are cooperating at the “tactical level,” Campbell noted, adding that what was involved here was radio communication about routes, in order to remove any chances of unwarranted collisions or misunderstandings.
The spokesman later indicated that it looked as if the mere presence of such a number of ships in those waters was having a restraining effect on Somali pirates. In the first two weeks of January, the pirates captured two ships. According to the International Maritime Bureau, Somali pirates have so far captured 42 ships.
Source:
Translation: RusNavy.com