New Zealand navy personnel to join Australian anti-piracy force

Five Royal New Zealand Navy personnel are to join Australian forces in protecting shipping against piracy in the Indian Ocean, New Zealand Defence Minister Wayne Mapp announced Friday. The sailors would join Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), an international coalition force conducting maritime security operations across the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Oman, said Mapp in a statement. "We have worked with the Australians many times before and this deployment is an excellent opportunity to improve inter- operability between our two navies," said Mapp. Captain Lance Cook would be Deputy Commander of CTF 150, one of three missions within the U.S.-led Coalition Maritime Forces, under an Australian commander. Another officer would join him at the United States naval facility in Bahrain for four months from early December. A three-person boat crew would join Australian frigate HMAS Melbourne early next year for a six-month deployment. "Terrorism, drug smuggling, people smuggling and piracy impact on security, trade and other economic activities of all nations," said Mapp. "Threats to maritime security are a growing international problem and we must play our part in the international response." Earlier this year a Royal New Zealand Navy (RNZN) officer commanded CTF 151 in anti-piracy operations, accompanied by two other New Zealanders.