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Pakistani Frigate Safeguards Gulf of Oman as Part of Coalition Task Force

Navy NewsStand

Story Number: NNS050511-14
Release Date: 5/11/2005 12:20:00 PM

From Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs

ABOARD PNS TARIQ, Gulf of Oman (NNS) -- Pakistani naval ship (PNS) Tariq (DDG 181) conducted a Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) drill in the Gulf of Oman May 9.

Tariq’s VBSS missions support maritime security operations (MSO) in the Gulf of Oman under the direction of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 150. CTF 150, led by British Commodore Tony Rix, operates as part of Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command. CTF 150 has included forces from the United States, France, Germany, Pakistan and the United Kingdom. These coalition vessels conduct MSO in the Gulf of Oman, Arabian Sea, Persian Gulf and Gulf of Aden to set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment.

MSO complements the 5th Fleet region’s counter-terrorism and security efforts by denying international terrorists the use of the maritime environment as a venue for attack or to transport personnel, weapons or other material.

“When monitoring this area, it is important for us to check all of the merchant vessels, because you never know what terrorists will use to transport their goods,” said Tariq Commanding Officer Capt. Muhammad Amjad. “We want to intercept terrorists as well as their materials. Their basic financing is through the smuggling of drugs and weapons, so we want to disrupt that, as well.”

Since deploying April 16, Amjad said his ship has ensured no vessel that comes through his area of responsibility goes unchecked.

“We have queried all the merchant vessels, visited all the dhows and continually update [Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Central Command] on all of our findings,” Amjad said. “There is a lot of illegal activity in this area, and the Pakistani ships have contributed a lot. We have been helpful in apprehending suspects of interest and have even helped take some suspicious boats back to Pakistan for further investigation.”

VBSS team captain Lt. Uzair Khalid said he and his team usually board at least two vessels every day.

When lookout personnel spot a vessel in the water, Tariq’s bridge team notifies the captain. The ship then closes in to initiate contact with the vessel either with the ship’s communications system or, if necessary, by loudspeaker. Khalid and his VBSS team board a vessel if the ship cannot establish communications or if there is reason to be suspicious of the vessel.

“We have two eight-man teams,” said Khalid. “The first is the security team. They go initially to secure the area. When everything is safe, we bring on our second team, called the sweep team, to ask questions and conduct inspections.”

The vessel queried May 9 as part of the drill was not suspicious and provided the boarding team with all necessary documentation to prove their legitimacy. Even so, every boarding is critical to maintaining safety and security of the sea, Khalid said.

“Our mission is to safeguard these waters, and we ensure, at all costs, that the mission is accomplished.”

In addition to daily VBSS missions, the multimission anti-submarine, anti-surface ship Tariq also takes measures against piracy, responds to distress calls by merchant vessels and provides search and rescue capability through its embarked helicopter squadron, commanded by Cmdr. Mohammed Masud Akram.

“We augment the mission of the ship, whatever it is,” said Akram. “Most often, we are engaged in search and rescue missions, but because we are part of a ship that operates with coalition forces, we can also assist in searches of suspect vessels. If the ship is too far away from a suspected dhow, or the sea state is very bad, we can conduct a query by helo and report back to the ship.”

The squadron contains one helicopter and 12 men who are integrated into Tariq’s 250-man crew.

This is Tariq’s second deployment to the Gulf of Oman. The ship was also part of CTF 150 from June to August of 2004. Tariq is one of six Pakistan navy ships that have been deployed since April, 2004. Combined, the Pakistan navy has queried more than 3,200 vessels in the 5th Fleet area of responsibility.

Pakistani Radar Technician Sailor Azad Bukhari, who has been in the Navy for less than five years, has been aboard Tariq for both deployments and is proud of the mission he and his ship are doing.

“We are saving the world,” said Bukhari. “We work together with America and other navies because this job is not for one nation. It’s for the entire world.”