Following the entry into force of “The Laws on Punishment of and Measures against Act of Piracy” on July 24, 2009, the Japan Self-Defense Force has started vessel escorting operation in the Gulf of Aden. Since then, 81 vessels with various national flags have benefited from the escort operations.
After about two (2) months from the commencement of the operation, the Government of Japan released a summary of escorted vessels and the operation of the Japanese P-3C patrol aircraft.
The legislation enables the Japan Self-Defense Force to protect vessels from acts of piracy regardless of their nationality, complementing other efforts made globally to ensure a safe passage for ships in response to the rampant acts of piracy and hijacking occurring off the coast of Somalia and the Gulf of Aden. Japan's Maritime Bureau under MLIT is receiving applications from various maritime-related organizations/officers such as ship operators, ship owners/managers, etc. from around the world for escort assistance and safe passage of ships.
| 1. Pre-registration （ 2009.7.15 ～ 2009. 9 .3 0 ） |
（1） Number of registered company ： 195
(including 121 non-Japanese companies ( 24 countries ) )
（2） Number of registered vessels ： 3,641
(including 1,161 vessels of non-Japanese companies )
| 2. Result of escort service(2009.7.28 ～ 2009.9.30 ) Total:23 escort operations ) |
TOTAL 150 vessels （ average:6.5 vessels ／ one escort operations ）
○Type of vessels
○Nationality of operator companies
○Flag of vessels
○Nationality of crew
※ Nationalities less than 10 crews are omitted from the diagram.
| 3. Record of Mission of P-3C Patrol Aircraft ( 2009.8.1 ～ 2009.8.31 ) |
（１） Number of flights: 22 flights (Accumulated Total : 51 flights since June 2009)
（２） Flight Hours : approximately 170 hours
(Accumulated Total : approximately 390 hours since June 2009)
（３） Number of visually confirmed commercial vessels : approximately 1500 vessel s
(Accumulated Total : approximately 3500 vessels since June 2009)
（４） Number of times information was provided to Japanese destroyers, foreign warships, and commercial vessel s: approximately 120 times
(Accumulated Total : approximately 250 times since June 2009)
4. Instances of when the P-3C provided information to other nations warships and commercial ships
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(1) On August 19th, the P-3C patrol aircraft which was engaged in patrol operations, detected a suspicious anchored boat with contents including a ladder. The boat began to sail toward a nearby tanker (photograph 1). The P-3C reported this information to commercial ships and foreign warships sailing nearby. A German warship which was participating in EU NAVFOR received this information, set course toward the suspected boat, and conducted an on-board inspection (photograph 2). They seized and disposed of weapons, such as AK- 47s. The boat and its crew were released.
The P-3C patrol aircraft received a message from EU NAVFOR stating, “Thank you for the excellent teamwork.” The P-3C also received a message from the tanker that was on the course of the suspected boat stating, “The suspected boat is now clear. Thank you very much. We appreciate all of your information.”
(2) On August 22nd, the P-3C which was engaged in patrol operations, detected a suspicious boat with contents including a ladder (photograph 3).
The P-3C provided this information to nearby commercial ships and foreign warships.
A Netherlands' warship which was participating in EU NAVFOR received this information and launched a helicopter which fired warning shots to prevent the suspected boat from escape. In addition, a Norwegian warship which was participating in EU NAVFOR set course toward the suspected boat, launched speed ribs, and conducted an on-board inspection. They discovered and disposed of ladders and weapons, such as rocket propelled grenades. The boat and its crew were released. The P-3C received a message from EU NAVFOR stating, “Thank you once again for your excellent cooperation.”
(3) In addition to the above cases, the following incidents occurred in August.
・ On August 14th, the P-3C received information from a foreign warship about the location of a pirate mother ship which was suspected of having conducted piracy activities that day. Investigating the area, the P-3C did not detect any suspicious boats, and therefore, reported
to nearby commercial ships and foreign warships that the area was clear and returned to daily patrol operations.
・ On August 16th, the P-3C received information about an ongoing piracy incident and set course toward the incident site. However, there were only 3 commercial ships in the area, which were not deemed suspicious. The P-3C reported this information to nearby commercial ships and foreign warships and returned to daily patrol operations.
