Korean ship to join Somalia anti-piracy force

The South Korean government on Monday approved a plan to send one of its naval ships to the waters off Somalia to help patrol the area for commercial vessels, the Korea Herald reported Tuesday.

   A Navy destroyer with 310 troops, a helicopter and three speedboats, will set sail for the piracy-beset region, at a cost of $20 million. The plan would have the destroyer patrol through the end of this year, with extensions possible if necessary. The ship will join a growing coalition force of naval vessels in and around the Gulf of Aden, a force cracking down on drug and weapons trafficking as well as piracy.

Source: American Shipper