International Recommended Transit Corridor
The International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) is a facility for naval shipping management through the MARLO in the Gulf of Aden to protect against piracy off the coast of Somalia in close cooperation with UKMTO (United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations) and MSCHOA (Maritime Security Center - Horn of Africa), an institution of the European Union .
MARLO
The MARITIME LIAISON OFFICE (MARLO) was founded in 1987 during the First Gulf War to improve the constant contact between the US Navy and civil shipping in the Persian Gulf. In times of crisis, all civilian ships are required to report their voyages in advance to the Marlo based in Manama (Bahrain) and to report any difficulties (distress, skirmishes, piracy) immediately. In the waters around the Arabian Peninsula, the 5th fleet of the US Navy operates, among other things, to protect civil and commercial shipping. In 2008, MARLO expanded its jurisdiction to include the Gulf of Aden and the Red Sea due to attacks by Somali pirates.
The corridor
In 2008 a northern route near the Yemeni coast was chosen, since 2009 there have been two straight lines through the middle of the Gulf of Aden. The specified coordinates are between 45th and 53rd longitude east in the ONE / WSW alignment. (252 °)
Ships with speeds over 18 knots are supposed to pass in the dark, ships between 10 and 18 knots are advised to wait at the assembly point and start early in the morning together in a convoy, slower ships are advised by the Yemeni agency GoAGT (Gulf of Aden Group Transits ) a heavily armed guards and, on request, a modern patrol boat.
Military surveillance
In addition to the 5th fleet of the US Navy, Operation Atalanta of the EU, Operation Ocean Shield of NATO and a good dozen warships from other countries operate . The transit corridor is constantly monitored and observed by the naval forces, but the merchant ships traveling in convoys are not provided with a continuous armed escort.
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ History of MARLO ( Memento of 13 May 2011 at the Internet Archive )