NOW HEAR THIS
NOW HEAR THIS
50% Of North East Asia’s crude oil and trade passes through the GoA each year
3400NM That’s the distance between Singapore and the GoA – equivalent to 6296km
11% Air force engineers must hose down the naval helicopter every six hours to prevent corrosion from the sea spray. They also conduct maintenance such as topping up of engine and transmission oils.
“This deployment requires prolonged persistence”, says CPT Eric Goh (extreme left), one of the operations officers on RSS TENACIOUS. “We may not see action every day, but when action is upon us, we’ll be ready to respond.”
Shipping highway MV Zim China is just one of over 20,000 vessels that pass through the Gulf of Aden every year. The gulf, which runs between the Horn of Africa and the Arabian Peninsula, is part of a major international shipping route from the Middle East to Asia. 20% of Singapore’s trade flows through the Gulf of Aden each year. In recent years, piracy has fallen in the gulf.
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To guard against pirate attacks, most vessels travel along the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), a duallane sea highway that ships are encouraged to transit.
Weapons Specialist CFC Nathaniel Loy greases the 0.5” CIS guns to prevent rust from forming due to sea spray. The 21-year-old , who volunteered for the deployment, is one of the youngest crew members on board.
It takes approximately three days for a merchant ship to traverse the IRTC. Multinational counter piracy forces patrol this stretch – Combined Task Force 151, under which RSS TENACIOUS operates, is one of them.
The International Chamber of Commerce International Maritime Bureau reported 15 incidents in 2013, down from 237 in 2011.
The presence of these naval warships reassures the merchant vessels.
These statistics favour merchant vessels, but no one wants to be the exception.
When MV Hanjin Gothenberg encountered engine failure about six nautical miles (11km) from
RSS TENACIOUS, the latter kept watch on it for four hours while they rectified the defect. “MV Hanjin Gothenberg was worried about a dhow towing three skiffs behind her. We positioned ourselves between her and the dhow, keeping watch for any suspicious movements,” said assistant operations officer CPT Ho Chuan, who was the Officer-ofthe-Watch.
Keeping watch over a merchant vessel sounds straightforward enough, but the crew cannot let their attention waver. Bridge lookout ME1 A Rajee keeps an eye on the horizon with her binoculars, while Weapons System Supervisor ME2 Sim Ti Kai monitors the dhows from the electro optic sensor mounted atop the typhoon gun.
He calls it ‘part of [his] job’, but accedes it is a tiring one. But when MV Hanjin Gothenberg pipes a grateful thank you - ‘Coalition warship, we want to let you know we are done with our repair work.. we deeply appreciate your assistance,’ before heading on her way, ME2 Sim is just as relieved.
Of the world’s petroleum shipment passes through the GoA each year
491 NM Length of the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). The IRTC is a dual-lane shipping highway that runs off the coast of Yemen, which merchant vessels are encouraged to transit.
“When I watch MV Hanjin Gothenberg carry on with her journey, I’m pleased because I have helped, to the extent that I can,” he said. In this way RSS TENACIOUS continues its patrol. One more dawn, one more day, one more merchant vessel sailing safe along the Gulf of Aden.
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