Coalition Ships Assist Distressed Vessel in Gulf of Oman
Navy NewsStand
Story Number: NNS070712-19
Release Date: 7/12/2007 5:35:00 PM
By U.S. Naval Forces Central Command/U.S. 5th Fleet Public Affairs
GULF OF OMAN (NNS) -- Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force ship Suzunami and Pakistani ship Tippu Sultan provided assistance to a vessel in distress in the Gulf of Oman July 12 while supporting coalition maritime operations in the 5th Fleet area of operations.
Early that morning, the 23-person crew of motor vessel Orchid Sun, a South Korean-flagged vessel, requested crew evacuation and medical assistance.
Combined Task Force 150 received a report at 4:28 a.m. local time from U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Area that Orchid Sun was sinking. Suzunami answered the request to provide assistance and proceeded to Orchid Sun’s position.
At 8:10 a.m. local time, Suzunami launched a helicopter and rescued one crew member from the water and took him to Suzunami. A commercial motor vessel on the scene rescued seven crew members.
As part of maritime operations, coalition forces have a long standing tradition of helping mariners in distress by providing medical assistance, engineering assistance and search and rescue efforts.
“Our forces are always ready to assist mariners in distress,” said Commander, Maritime Forces in Bahrain Vice Adm. Kevin J. Cosgriff. “It’s part of our operations and part of the tradition of professional mariners. We are able to respond quickly and in this case we saved lives.”
Maritime operations help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment and complement the counter-terrorism and security efforts in regional nations’ littoral waters. Coalition forces also conduct maritime operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that commercial shipping and fishing can occur safely in the region.
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