Saudi Arabia, UAE to Establish Shipping Lane to Yemen's Hodeidah Port
Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates announced a five-point aid plan for Yemen's Hodeidah port and surrounding areas on Wednesday, after a Saudi-led alliance of Arab states launched an attack on Yemen's Houthi-held main port city.As part of the plan, the two coalition states aim to establish a shipping lane to Hodeidah from the UAE capital, Abu Dhabi, and Jizan, a city in southern Saudi Arabia, officials told a news conference in Riyadh.They will also distribute food, provide medical supplies, equipment and staff to hospitals, sustain electrical stations and provide economic support, they
Germany, Norway Join HST Strike Group
Two coalition naval vessels arrived at Norfolk naval base Jan. 26 and 28, to conduct training and operations as part of the Harry S. Truman Carrier Strike Group (HST CSG). The Royal Norwegian Navy frigate HNoMS Roald Amundsen (F 311) and the Sachsen-class German frigate Hessen (F 221) arrived to participate in the strike group's upcoming Composite Training Unit Exercise (COMPTUEX). "Any time we can operate with another one of our allies anywhere in the world, we gain from it and they gain from it," Rear Adm. Gene Black, commander of HST CSG. "I've always had great success working with coalition partners and this is just a similar task with a more complex mission set.
Coalition Forces Provide Assistance to Danish Merchant Vessel
Two Coalition ships from Combined Task Force (CTF 150), French Warship Commandant Blaison (F 793) and USS Arleigh Burke (DDG 51), provided assistance to Danish merchant vessel Danica White following its release from Somali pirates Aug. 22. Blaison rendezvoused with Danica White at approximately 6 p.m. and was subsequently joined by Arleigh Burke in international waters off the coast of Somalia. The coalition ships are escorting Danica White to its next port to ensure it arrives safely. Pirates took control of Danica White off the coast of Somalia in early June. CTF 150 provides the tactical direction for Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, Red Sea and the Indian Ocean.
U.S. Sailor Helps Coordinate Rescue Effort
The U.S. Naval Forces Central Command’s (NAVCENT) command center answered a distress call from the owner of the Indian-flagged merchant vessel Kayana, after the ship sank off the coast of Somalia, June 22. Lt. j.g. Brad Fancher, NAVCENT’s watch commander at the time, received the call. He then set in motion the chain of events that led to the safe rescue of Kayana’s 18 crew members. “I called the Rescue Coordination Center [RCC] in Falmouth, England, because they coordinate most rescue operations around the world,” said Fancher, a native of Lumberton, Texas. After the vessel sank, Kayana’s crew members were stranded on a solitary lifeboat. However it, too, began to sink, making efforts to retrieve the crew even more urgent.
