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Coffeeshop Chit Chat - Another SG ship going to Somalia...</TD><TD id=msgunetc noWrap align=right>
Subscribe </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE><TABLE class=msgtable cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="96%"><TBODY><TR><TD class=msg vAlign=top><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgbfr1 width="1%"> </TD><TD><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 border=0><TBODY><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgF noWrap align=right width="1%">From: </TD><TD class=msgFname noWrap width="68%">kojakbt22 <NOBR>
</NOBR> </TD><TD class=msgDate noWrap align=right width="30%">1:16 am </TD></TR><TR class=msghead><TD class=msgT noWrap align=right width="1%" height=20>To: </TD><TD class=msgTname noWrap width="68%">ALL <NOBR></NOBR></TD><TD class=msgNum noWrap align=right> (1 of 2) </TD></TR></TBODY></TABLE></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgleft width="1%" rowSpan=4> </TD><TD class=wintiny noWrap align=right>11151.1 </TD></TR><TR><TD height=8></TD></TR><TR><TD class=msgtxt><TABLE cellSpacing=0 cellPadding=0 width="100%" border=0><TBODY><TR><TD>S'pore joins anti-piracy mission off Somalia
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jermyn Chow
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Mission commander, Colonel Bernard Miranda, accepting a Singapore flag and a letter of encouragement from the Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Chew Men Leong, during the sending-off ceremony yesterday. -- PHOTO: MINDEF
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A SINGAPORE Navy warship left yesterday for the Gulf of Aden - the Republic's contribution to an international anti-piracy patrol coalition to curb the escalating violence off the waters of Somalia.
The Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Persistence, with two Super Puma helicopters and 240 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel on board, set off for a three-month tour to join a United States-led task force that is watching over the area.
The Persistence will join about 45 warships from around the world, including China and Malaysia, which are already patrolling the area.
The international flotilla, formed in January, escorts vessels plying the waters in and around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
As part of the Combined Task Force 151, the LST will protect merchant ships that pass through the pirate-infested waterway. It will also respond to any emergency calls made from ships that are under attack.
Leading the SAF contingent is Colonel Bernard Miranda, commander of the navy's 3rd Flotilla.
Singapore's contribution to the multinational effort to fight piracy comes as more attacks have been reported.
In the worst spate of hijackings in months, Somali pirates seized five ships in 48 hours in the past week.
The Singapore-registered oil tanker Ocean Amber was also threatened when it passed through the waterway, although it was not fired upon and none of the 30-man crew was taken hostage.
A Japanese destroyer responded to its distress call and chased away the four pirate boats, said a spokesman for the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Fourteen Singapore-registered ships were among the more than 100 vessels which were fired upon or pursued by pirates last year when they sailed through the Gulf of Aden. To date, at least 17 ships with more than 250 hostages remain in pirate hands.
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</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- headline one : end --></TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- Author --></TD></TR><TR><TD class="padlrt8 georgia11 darkgrey bold" colSpan=2>By Jermyn Chow
</TD></TR><TR><TD><!-- show image if available --></TD></TR><TR vAlign=bottom><TD width=330>

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Mission commander, Colonel Bernard Miranda, accepting a Singapore flag and a letter of encouragement from the Chief of Navy, Rear-Admiral Chew Men Leong, during the sending-off ceremony yesterday. -- PHOTO: MINDEF
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<!-- START OF : div id="storytext"--><!-- more than 4 paragraphs -->
A SINGAPORE Navy warship left yesterday for the Gulf of Aden - the Republic's contribution to an international anti-piracy patrol coalition to curb the escalating violence off the waters of Somalia.
The Landing Ship Tank (LST) RSS Persistence, with two Super Puma helicopters and 240 Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) personnel on board, set off for a three-month tour to join a United States-led task force that is watching over the area.
The Persistence will join about 45 warships from around the world, including China and Malaysia, which are already patrolling the area.
The international flotilla, formed in January, escorts vessels plying the waters in and around the Gulf of Aden, the Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.
As part of the Combined Task Force 151, the LST will protect merchant ships that pass through the pirate-infested waterway. It will also respond to any emergency calls made from ships that are under attack.
Leading the SAF contingent is Colonel Bernard Miranda, commander of the navy's 3rd Flotilla.
Singapore's contribution to the multinational effort to fight piracy comes as more attacks have been reported.
In the worst spate of hijackings in months, Somali pirates seized five ships in 48 hours in the past week.
The Singapore-registered oil tanker Ocean Amber was also threatened when it passed through the waterway, although it was not fired upon and none of the 30-man crew was taken hostage.
A Japanese destroyer responded to its distress call and chased away the four pirate boats, said a spokesman for the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore.
Fourteen Singapore-registered ships were among the more than 100 vessels which were fired upon or pursued by pirates last year when they sailed through the Gulf of Aden. To date, at least 17 ships with more than 250 hostages remain in pirate hands.
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