By Jung Sung-ki
Staff Reporter
A National Assembly committee passed a motion Monday to extend the mission of the Navy's anti-piracy Cheonghae unit in waters off Somalia to the end of next year.
The motion has now been submitted to a full parliamentary session for final approval.
Last week, a third contingent left for the Somali littorals as part of a four-month rotation.
Since being deployed in March, the 300-strong unit has successfully escorted more than 300 domestic and foreign cargo ships through the troubled waters and thwarted nine attempts by pirates to hijack ships.
The contingent consists of a 4,500-ton KDX-II destroyer, a Lynx anti-submarine helicopter and a group of 30 UDT/SEAL forces.
The KDX-II destroyer is equipped with a Mk 45 127mm gun, harpoon ship-to-surface missiles, RAM Mk 31 ship-to-air guided missiles, a 30mm Goalkeeper system for engaging sea-skimming anti-ship missiles and torpedoes. Built in 2003, the 150-meter-long, 17-meter-wide ship has a top speed of 29 knots.
Located along the route of a crude-oil pipeline connecting the Red Sea to the Indian Ocean and racked by civil war, Somalia has become infamous for piracy.
Each year, about 20,000 ships sail through the Gulf of Aden headed for the Suez Canal, an important shipping route for international trade that links Europe to the Middle East and Asia.
The International Maritime Organization counted 111 attacks in 2008 in waters near Somalia, the most notorious location for piracy.
gallantjung@koreatimes.co.kr
