Landing the Big One

Landing the Big One

Sunday, August 31, 2008

Gulf of Aden Martime Security Zone


From the U.S. Maritime Administration

GULF OF ADEN. 1. THIS MARAD ADVISORY PROVIDES SUGGESTED WAY POINT FOR COMMERCIAL VESSELS TO TRANSIT THE GULF OF ADEN.
2. MARLO BAHRAIN SENT A MESSAGE ON 25 AUGUST WHICH STATED THAT THE COMMANDER, U.S. NAVAL CENTRAL COMMAND HAS DIRECTED THE ESTABLISHMENT OF A MARITIME SECURITY PATROL AREA (MSPA) IN THE GULF OF ADEN.
3. FURTHERMORE, A FORCE OF COALITION NAVY WARSHIPS WILL PATROL THE AREA, AND AIRCRAFT WILL FLY IN THE AIRSPACE ABOVE. COMMODORE BOB DAVIDSON (CANADIAN NAVY), COMMANDER COMBINED TASK FORCE 150, WILL COMMAND NAVAL FORCES IN THE PATROL AREA. THE MSPA IS BEING ESTABLISHED IN SUPPORT OF THE INTERNATIONAL MARITIME ORGANIZATION'S (IMO) ONGOING EFFORTS. COALITION ACTIONS WILL GIVE THE IMO TIME TO WORK INTERNATIONAL PREVENTATIVE EFFORTS THAT WILL ULTIMATELY LEAD TO A LONG TERM SOLUTION. COALITION SHIPS ARE IN THE AREA AS PART OF OUR CONTINUAL PRESENCE IN THIS REGION. WHILE THEY HAVE CONDUCTED ROUTINE OPERATIONS IN THE AREA IN THE PAST, THE ESTABLISHMENT OF THE MSPA WILL FOCUS THE EFFORTS TO COUNTER DESTABILIZING ACTIVITIES IN THE REGION AND IMPROVE SECURITY WHILE LONG-TERM INITIATIVES MATURE.
4. SUGGESTED CORRIDOR THROUGH THE GULF OF ADEN ALONG TRACKLINE JOINING: 12-15N 045-00E, 12-35N 045-00E, 13-35N 049-00E, 13-40N 049-00E, 14-10N 050-00E, 14-15N 050-00E, 14-35N 053-00E, 14-45N 053-00E. ***
On the map above, I have laid in (very roughly) the corridor.

UPDATE: From the Navy Times:
Things are about to get even more intense in the Gulf of Aden, already a perennial global hotspot, as U.S. and allied naval forces clamp down on piracy in the troubled waters.

U.S. 5th Fleet in Bahrain announced the establishment of a maritime security patrol area in the waters between the coasts of Somalia and Yemen; the area will be patrolled by allied naval forces under Combined Task Force 150.
***
Cmdr. Jane Campbell, public affairs officer at 5th Fleet, said the patrol area could be described roughly as a rectangular shape over the Gulf of Aden, with a constant allied naval presence. “The number will vary, but we’ll have ships on station,” she said. “This is not a long-term solution; it’s a short-term, focused operation.”

Along with surface patrols, shore-based aircraft, shipborne helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles also will keep a weather eye on the Gulf of Aden.
UPDATE: Ken Adams sends along, as he puts it, a more "refined" map:
Ken, by the way, blogs here.

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