Turkey takes command of anti-piracy naval task force

By Sinan Uslu

ANKARA

 Turkish navy has assumed the command of a counter-piracy multinational naval task force operating under the 25-nation coalition of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF).

According to a statement issued by Turkish Naval Forces on Friday, Rear Admiral Tatsuya Fukuda of Japan Maritime Self Defence Force handed over the command of the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF15) to Rear Admiral Emre Sezenler of Turkish navy.

The ceremony held on Thursday was chaired by Vice Admiral Kevin Donegan, Commander of U.S. Fifth Fleet, at CMF headquarters in Manama, Bahrain.

Sezenler will continue to command the task force until October 26, 2017.

Hatun Demirer, ambassador of Turkey to Bahrain, and Vice Admiral Sukru Korlu, commander of Northern Sea Area Command, represented Turkey at the event.

Turkey previously held the command of the CTF151 between September 19 and December 13, 2012.

In accordance with United Nations Security Council resolutions, and in cooperation with non-member forces, CTF151's mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to engage with regional and other partners to build capacity and improve relevant capabilities in order to protect global maritime commerce and secure freedom of navigation.

CTF151 was set up in response to piracy attacks in shipping lanes off the coast of Somalia.

With participation from Turkish, Japanese, South Korean and Pakistan naval forces, it operates in the Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and off the eastern coast of Somalia covering an area of approximately 1.1 million square miles.