Kiwi Sailors Mission Protecting Shipping Routes Comes to End
Media Release
23 August 2012
Kiwi Sailors Mission Protecting Shipping Routes Comes to End
Three Royal New Zealand
Navy sailors have successfully completed a six month
deployment protecting vital international shipping
routes.
The Kiwi sailors, embarked on Royal Australian
Navy ship HMAS MELBOURNE, were supporting Combined Task
Force 150 (CTF 150), a multi-national maritime
counter-terrorism task force operating in the Red Sea, Gulf
of Aden, Indian Ocean and Gulf of Oman.
CTF 150 is one
of three task forces operated by the US-led Combined
Maritime Forces (CMF), a 25-nation coalition. The NZ Defence
Force’s support to CTF 150 demonstrates New Zealand’s
commitment to protecting vital international shipping
routes, ensuring security and stability in the international
maritime environment. The area of CTF150 operations
encompasses over two million square miles and includes the
main shipping routes from the Far East to Europe and the
United States.
In the last few years, the NZ Defence
Force has committed around a dozen Naval officers and
sailors to Task Force 150 and 151, most notable was last
year when RNZN officers commanded CTF 151, says Maritime
Component Commander, Commodore John Martin.
“Our
three sailors who, along with many other New Zealand Naval
personnel, have contributed to the conduct of maritime
security operations in a challenging environment. Their work
is testimony to their professionalism, training and
leadership. The country is right to be proud of their
service.”
The New Zealand sailors deployed to
Australia in September 2011 to take part in the work-up
programme for HMAS MELBOURNE in preparation for conducting
CTF150 operations from March 2012. The ship arrived back in
Sydney this week. The three sailors were met by family and
friends, and will now enjoy some leave in Australia before
returning back to New Zealand.
Able Seaman Combat
Specialist Dylan Thomas says the mission also demonstrates
the Defence Force’s close ties and interoperability with
our Australian counterparts.
“It was a pleasure
working beside our ANZAC counterparts as Australian and New
Zealand forces have done since World War I. I made a lot of
new Australian mates but of course, nothing beats the mates
I have back home,” he says.
“We conducted
anti-piracy and counter-terrorism operations with Royal
Australian Navy personnel to help ensure a safe passage for
merchant sailors transiting through the Middle
East.
“My main job was to act as one of the crew of
a rigid hull inflatable boat for the boarding team. With the
mercury often hitting 48 degrees Celsius, boardings
sometimes seemed interminable when they lasted up to 11
hours. We regularly conducted two to three boardings a day
on smaller dhows, traditional sailing vessels
Leading Seaman Combat Specialist Joshua Tatana added that it was a great experience and opportunity: “The ship was constantly busy, conducting operations to support the deployment or carrying out regular maintenance. It was also an opportunity to learn new operating procedures working with our Australian sailors. I wouldn’t change the experience for anything.”
ENDS.