5th Fleet Focus: Somalia Update

It isn't just the Royal Navy and US Navy suggesting it is time shipping companies protect themselves, a Malaysian Vice Admiral said the same thing today as two warships returned home.

Shipping companies should invest in security measures and not depend on the country’s security vessels, including the Royal Malaysian Navy (RMN), for their safety as the RMN could not be accompanying commercial vessels especially those which pass through the Gulf of Aden as the operational cost was high, said the Fleet Operations Commander of the Lumut RMN Base, Vice Admiral Datuk Ahmad Kamarulzaman Ahmad Badaruddin.

This announcement was made during the return home of KD Lekiu (FFG 30) and KD Sri Inderapura (L 1505). The article goes on to note Royal Malaysian Navy activity as it relates to Somalia.

MV Bunga Melati 2 that was laden with palm oil sailed from Dumai, Sumatra, in Indonesia bound for Rotterdam with a crew of 39 made up of 29 Malaysians and 10 Filipinos when it was seized by pirates in the Gulf of Aden between Somalia and Yemen on Aug 19. MV Bunga Melati 5 was carrying petrochemicals from Yanbu, Saudi Arabia and bound for Singapore with a crew of 41 made up of 36 Malaysians and Filipino maintenance men when it was seized on Aug 29.

MV Bunga Melati 5 was released on Sept 27 and MV Bunga Melati 2 two days later. Another RMN ship, the KD Mahawangsa, is still in the Gulf of Aden to monitor the situatiion.

For those who are curious, KD Sri Inderapura (L 1505) is the old USS Spartanburg County, LST 1192. It is worth pointing out that KD Lekiu (FFG 30) has participated in CARAT on multiple occasions in the past, highlighting the necessity for these naval exercises because you never know when they will be useful in operations anywhere in the world. It is also worth pointing out that the US Navy isn't the only maritime service building better relations with Malaysia.

KD Mahawangsa is the ship in the foreground above.

In other news:

The US Navy took another photo of the crew of the MV Faina on Sunday to insure their well being. According to the US Navy, the crew appears fine. The US Navy posted the photo here.

The Indian seafarer unions are united, and not happy about Somalian piracy.