Republic of Korea Warship Rescues Civilian Mariners in Gulf of Aden

Combined Maritime Forces

Jun 29

MANAMA, Bahrain – A naval vessel from the Republic of Korea rescued four civilian mariners from the United Kingdom who were adrift aboard a sailing vessel after the engine failed while transiting the Gulf of Aden, June 26.

Republic of Korea Navy destroyer Dae Jo Yeong (DD 977) responded after Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), an international partnership headquartered in Bahrain, was notified of a distress call from the stranded mariners. The warship was conducting a regional patrol with a CMF counter-piracy task force at the time.

While transiting to the scene, Dae Jo Yeong contacted a nearby merchant vessel to provide medical assistance to one of the mariners. The other three mariners were safely rescued by Dae Jo Yeong.

On June 27, the four mariners were transferred to Omani authorities for additional medical care and repatriation.

"This rescue is the true manifestation of professionalism and close coordination between international partners," said Pakistan Navy Commodore Ahmed Hussain, commander of the counter-piracy task force, Combined Task Force (CTF) 151.

CTF 151 focuses on deterring, disrupting and suppressing piracy at sea to protect the free flow of commerce in regional waters.

CMF consists of 34 member nations and is the largest naval partnership in the world. Its forces operate in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Northern Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Indian Ocean and Arabian Gulf.