Ministry of National Defense Republic of Korea

The 'Guardians of Gulf of Aden' in the Cheonghae unit once again demonstrated their outstanding ability.

On September 1st, a Navy spokesperson made the following report: "On the 29th of August, the Cheonghae Unit 24th Squad, which was carrying out maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, rescued a Somali fishing vessel and five seamen who were drifting and returned them to their home country."

On August 28th, the DDH-II of Cheonghae Unit 24th Squad received a signal from a multi-national allied naval vessel 150 miles away that a fishing boat was drifting and in distress. After deploying a search inspection team (UDT / SEAL), the Cheonghae Unit 24th Squad, which was operated exclusively by the site, was able to confirm that the fishing boat had been drifting for eleven days due to a missing engine screw. The units carried out humanitarian assistance activities in accordance with the International Convention for the Safety of Life on the Sea (SOLAS).

Cheonghae Unit’s 24th Squad took care of the distressed sailors, carefully checking the crew’s health condition and providing food and clothes. The fishing boat that was unable to maneuver was salvaged to the DDH-II. The rudder of the cut fishing boat was also welded to enable it to be returned to normal operation. The rescued crew thanked the Korean Navy for their humanitarian assistance, giving the thumbs up sign.

The Cheonghae Unit 24th squad brought the rescued crew members to the port of Berbera, Somalia on the 30th of last month and handed them over to Somalia’s maritime police.

Chunghae Unit 24th squad, which departed from the Busan operation base on May 2nd, has been carrying out its missions perfectly, including vessel escort and safe navigation support for 560 ships, and 20 maritime security operations.

By Byeong-No, Yun <trylover@dema.mil.kr >

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