28 Oct 2011

Navy joins another anti-piracy taskforce

7:30 pm on 28 October 2011

The Royal New Zealand Navy will take part in an anti-piracy combined taskforce for the second time this year.

Five sailors will join the Combined Task Force 150 to conduct maritime security operations across 3.2 million square kilometres of the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman.

The Australian Defence Force will command the international coalition force; Captain Lance Cook of the RNZN will be his deputy.

Another naval officer will join him at the United States naval facility in Bahrain for four months from early December.

A three-person boat crew will join the Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne early next year for a six-month deployment.

Earlier this year Captain Jim Gilmour was the commanding officer of a counter-piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden.