Posted by: “Marco P.J. Borst” mborst@p3orion.nl marco_pj
Wed Sep 28, 2011 2:24 pm (PDT)

From Barents surveillance to pirate hunting
2011-09-28

The Norwegian Orion aircraft with crew before take-off to Africa from Andøya air base.

Norway has sent one of its P3-N Orion surveillance plane to hunt for pirates in the Gulf of Aden.

The plane is normally based at Andøya airbase in northern Norway from where it flies on missions to watch for illegal fishing and Russian submarine activities In the Norwegian Sea and Barents Sea.

The surveillance plane with staff is stationed at the Seychelles as part of Norway’s contribution to the NATO led anti-pirate operation Ocean Shield, reports the Norwegian armed forces.

The plane will fly regular surveillance missions off the coast of east Africa until it returns to northern Norway after December 15th.

In August 2009, Norway contributed to the pirate hunting outside Somalia with the navy’s new frigate “KNM Fridtjof Nansen” for a six months period. The naval vessel was then a part of the EU led Task Force Atlanta.

Russia has also participated in anti-pirate operations off the coast of Africa with vessels from its Northern Fleet that normally sails the Barents Sea. The destroyer “Severomorsk” will later in October arrived back to her home port on the Kola Peninsula after a three months mission in the Gulf of Aden.

Text: Thomas Nilsen