The Yomiuri Shimbun
Defense Minister Yasukazu Hamada plans Wednesday to officially order the Maritime Self-Defense Force to prepare for an antipiracy mission off Somalia, according to sources.
An outline of the operational guidelines for the MSDF on the mission to protect Japan-related vessels from pirates were revealed Tuesday.
In line with the Self-Defense Forces Law's Article 82, which governs policing action on the seas, the MSDF will dispatch two destroyers. Each of the vessels will be equipped with two SH60K helicopters and two high-speed boats, to be used by the Special Boarding Unit in the event of a pirate attack on a merchant ship, according to the outline.
The guidelines also call on Japan-related ships to gather at two designated points in east and west in the Gulf of Aden, which has been plagued by pirate attacks. Through the Construction and Transport Ministry, the Japanese Shipowners' Association will request escorts for their vessels from the Defense Ministry, which will then order the two destroyers to accompany the vessels in convoy through the gulf.
Under the guidelines, commercial vessels will sail in a line at intervals of about one nautical mile (about 1.8 kilometers), with one MSDF destroyer leading the convoy and the other bringing up the rear.
There have been no pirate attacks on fast-moving ships traveling at 15 to 20 knots (about 28 to 37 kph), or on vehicle carriers, whose sides are higher than those of other ships, have been reported. Such ships are likely to sail ahead of the convoy.
If a foreign ship sailing near a Japanese convoy issues a distress call in the event of pirate attacks, the government is considering allowing the MSDF to mobilize a helicopter from one of the destroyers and alert other countries' naval ships in surrounding waters.
(Jan. 28, 2009)
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