Operation Ocean Shield
The mission of Operation Ocean Shield is to contribute to international efforts to counter maritime piracy while participating in capacity building efforts with regional governments. Operation Ocean Shield cooperates closely with other naval forces including US-led maritime forces, EU naval forces, and national actors operating against the threat of piracy in the region. NATO's mission is in full accordance with the relevant United Nations Security Council Resolutions relating to Somali-based piracy.
NATO naval forces operate off the Horn of Africa, including the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean up to the Strait of Hormuz, an area greater than 2 million square miles or approximately the size of Western Europe. With the consent of Somali authorities, NATO vessels may enter the territorial waters of Somalia. Operations on Somali land were not part of the NATO mandate. NATO vessels conduct intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions to verify the activity of shipping off the coast of Somalia, separating out legitimate maritime traffic from suspected pirate vessels. Commercial ships that are transiting the area are monitored and in many cases escorted to ensure their safe passage. The shipping industry is in regular contact with NATO and the other counter piracy operations through the NATO Shipping Centre, where pirate activity can be reported and shared to prevent attacks and enhance situational awareness of the maritime environment. NATO ships also actively pursue suspected pirate ships to prevent them from staging attacks. NATO boarding teams can board a suspect vessel to determine if pirates are on board. NATO vessels can also use force to stop a pirate vessel or intervene in a hijacking. Any detained pirates will be transferred as soon as possible to designated national law enforcement agencies. In addition NATO, along with its partners, has been working with the maritime community to ensure that both merchant ships and crews are aware of Best Management Practices 4, which gives advice on how to protect vessels against pirate attack.
Operation Ocean Shield commenced on 17 August 2009 after the North Atlantic Council approved the mission. Operation Ocean Shield built on the experience gained during Operation Allied Protector, NATO's previous counter-piracy mission, and developed a distinctive NATO role based on the broad strength of the Alliance by adopting a more comprehensive approach to counter-piracy efforts.
In January 2011 there were 29 attacks and 6 ships were pirated. In November 2011, UN Security Council Resolution 2020 renewed the call on states and regional organizations to take active part in the fight against piracy off the coast of Somalia. With the consent of Somali authorities, the resolution also mandated taking "all necessary means to repress acts of piracy and armed robbery within the territorial waters of Somalia."
In January 2012, there were 4 pirate attacks, all of which were unsuccessful. In addition, 80 suspected pirates were captured by counter piracy forces, of which 59 were captured by NATO ships. 29 of them were transferred for prosecution by March 2012, with the position of the others under consideration by nations. As at 15 March 2012, pirates were holding 8 ships with an estimated 212 hostages.
As at 15 March 2012, 5 Allies (Denmark, Italy, the Netherlands, the United States and Turkey) were providing naval assets to the mission, supported by maritime patrol aircraft. Around 800 personnel were deployed as of March 2012 as part of the mission. All Allies contributed to the mission, either directly or indirectly, through NATO's command structures and common funding. NATO Allies provided ships and maritime patrol aircraft to NATO Standing Maritime Groups, which in turn assigned a number of ships, on a rotational basis, to Operation Ocean Shield. As of March 2012, NATO's highest decision making body, the North Atlantic Council provided political guidance for the operation. Command and Control was then exercised by the NATO military chain of command, with the Supreme Allied Commander Europe having delegated operational command to Maritime Command Headquarters in Northwood in the United Kingdom.
On 19 March 2012, the North Atlantic Council extended the operation until the end of 2014.
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