Turkish frigate to set sail for Gulf of Aden in Feb

A Turkish frigate will set sail for the Gulf of Aden in February, the General Staff said on Friday.

Gen. Metin Gurak, the head of General Staff's Communication Department, said that the TCG Gemlik frigate would set sail for the Gulf of Aden on February 1, 2010.

"A ceremony will take place at the Aksaz Naval Base Command in Marmaris on February 1," Gurak told a weekly press briefing in Ankara.

The TCG Gemlik will take over the mission from TCG Gokova frigate, which had prevented an armed attack by pirates on an Indian commercial ship on January 16, 2010.

After its anti-piracy mission off Somali for five months, Turkish frigate TCG Gediz, with 266 crew members on board, returned home on November 19, 2009.

During its mission in open sea off Somali, TCG Gediz launched five operations against Somali pirates and escorted 122 Turkish cargo ships safely during their navigation off the east coast of Africa.

On January 16, TCG Gokova prevented an attempt by pirates to hijack a vessel in the Gulf of Aden. The frigate intervened a skiff pirate boat which opened fire on Indian vessel M/V JAL, in an hijacking attempt, 105 nautical miles off the coast. It fended off the pirates with manoeuvres, and a chopper which took off from TGC Gokova and a team of underwater assault commandos seized the boat arresting six pirates along with their arms.

Also, Gurak said Chief of General Staff Gen. Ilker Basbug will participate in NATO military committee meeting in Brussels on January 26-27.

/World Bulletin/