Over the weekend EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear Admiral Enrico Credendino and the Commander of the Combined Maritime Force (CMF), Rear Admiral Oguz Karaman, met at sea onboard CTF 151 flagship TCG Gemlik.
During the meeting Rear Admiral Credendino and his staff discussed with CTF 151 staff the handover of the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) co-ordination duty in the Gulf of Aden which officially took place today, Monday 15 October.
EU NAVFOR is now the force in charge of co-ordinating counter piracy forces and vessels through the area for the next 3 months. The Gulf of Aden is a known hotspot for pirate attacks and the co-ordination of vessels through this area is of utmost importance in the continued fight against piracy in the region. During their meeting the two Force Commanders discussed the outlook of piracy during the coming weeks, and both agreed that close co-operation between EU NAVFOR and CMF is of crucial importance, with the timely sharing of information essential. At the meeting, Rear Admiral Karaman congratulated Rear Admiral Credendino on the successful disruption of seven suspected pirates in the Somali Basin on Wednesday 10 October.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, October 16, 2012; Image: EU Navfor