French Warship Commandant Blaison Rescues Mariners off Djibouti Coast

From Combined Maritime Forces Public Affairs

French warship FS Commandant Blaison (F793), which is part of the coalition’s Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, rescued two fishing dhow crew members Aug. 8, after their vessel sank 20 miles off the coast of Djibouti.

Ten other crew members were safely rescued from the sea by commercial vessels at the scene. Deployed as part of the coalition force, Blaison received a relayed radio distress call from a motor vessel, which had initially received the distress call from the sinking Abibi Dini, a Djiboutian-flagged fishing dhow.

After Blaison arrived on scene, its sailors found that the dhow had already sunk, and its crew members were in the water. Using the ship's rigid hulled inflatable boat, Blaison rescued two of the dhow’s 12 crew members. Blaison’s crew brought the Djiboutian and Ethiopian fishermen aboard ship and immediately provided medical attention. None of the dhow’s crew members sustained life-threatening injuries during the incident.

Blaison proceeded to Djibouti, where it transported the fishermen ashore. The cause of the sinking is unknown at this time. Blaison, homeported in Brest, France, is conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in regional waters. CTF 150’s area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. CTF 150 is currently commanded by Pakistani Commodore Khan Hasham Bin Saddique.

MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment, as well as complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts of regional nations. These operations deny international terrorists use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.