There have been 199 incidents of piracy worldwide this year(Photo AFP)NATO Warships Ready To Tackle Piracy Off Somalia -- AFP
BRUSSELS (AFP) — NATO warships are in place off the Somali coast to tackle rampant piracy in the waters, and are ready to escort UN aid vessels under threat, a spokesman for the alliance's naval command said Friday.
"The boats are in the area. They have started their deterrent role," a spokesman at NATO's naval command in Naples, Italy said by telephone, adding that the three vessels "would escort UN ships on request".
The ships -- an Italian destroyer and British and Greek frigates which form NATO's operation Allied Provider -- "may use force" under their rules of engagement and in line with international law, a statement said.
They will help escort UN World Food Programme (WFP) food shipments, whose cargo is a tempting target for pirates, until the European Union can launch its own operation, probably in December.
The WFP ships 30,000-35,000 tonnes of aid into Somalia each month.
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More News On Somali Piracy
NATO warships deployed against Somali pirates -- ABC News (Australia)
NATO ships to escort UN food shipments to Somalia -- China View
Somali pirates 'hard to defeat' -- BBC
Canadian ship leaves pirate-plagued Somali waters -- CBC
Shipping Industry Mulls Hiring Private Security to Fight Piracy -- Voice Of America