Photo By NAVCENT Public Affairs | Merchant Vessel being reassured by HMS MONTROSE on IMSC Tasking... read more read more
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HMS Montrose, a Coalition Task Force (CTF) SENTINEL warship, has been patrolling the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden.
“Our ships routinely patrol these waters in order to provide reassurance to merchant vessels, maintain freedom of navigation and the free flow of commerce,” said Royal Navy Commodore Rob Bellfield, CTF Sentinel commander. “The Gulf of Aden is one of the most strategically important waterways in the Middle East region and it is vitally important that seafarers feel safe operating in the area.”
The Gulf of Aden connects to the Red Sea via the Bab el-Mandeb Strait; one the of the world’s most important maritime choke points, which measures just 18 miles wide at its narrowest point. Providing an outlet to the west for oil and gas, it is estimated that up to six million barrels of oil and nearly 3.5 billion cubic feet of liquid natural gas pass through these waters each day.
“The IRTC was established in 2009 to concentrate merchant vessels transiting in a defined area. Based on the concept of safety in numbers, the IRTC allows warships to easily patrol the area providing reassurance to merchant shipping,” said Bellfield. “The attempted attack on the Motor Tanker Gladiolus on March 20, and attack on the Motor Tanker Stolt Apal on May 20 demonstrate the importance of international organizations such as the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) providing security in this area.”
CTF SENTINEL is the British-led operational arm of the multi-national, IMSC which deploys ships and aircraft throughout the region as part of an international effort to ensure freedom of navigation and free flow of commerce in international waters.
| Date Taken: | 08.02.2020 |
| Date Posted: | 08.02.2020 03:12 |
| Story ID: | 375099 |
| Location: | BH |
| Web Views: | 171 |
| Downloads: | 1 |
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