The Secretary-General of the UN’s International Maritime Organization (IMO), Efthimios E. Mitropoulos, has publically recognized the efforts of Canada and 21 other nations that have contributed warships to naval counter-piracy operations off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden by presenting special certificates for exceptional services rendered to shipping and mankind.

The certificates were presented during the Bravery at Sea Awards ceremony held November 23 at IMO Headquarters in London, as part of the 26th Regular Session of the Assembly of the IMO.

Captain (Navy) Harry Harsch, the Naval Adviser at the Canadian Defence Liaison Staff in London, accepted the award on behalf of the Canadian Navy, with the Canadian High Commissioner, His Excellency James R. Wright, in attendance.

The Canadian warships recognized were: HMCS Iroquois (then under the command of Capt(N) Brendan Ryan), HMCS Calgary (then under the command of Commander Kelly Larkin), HMCS Protecteur (then under the command of Cdr Sean Cantalon), HMCS Ville de Quebéc (then under the command of Cdr Chris Dickinson) and HMCS Winnipeg (then under the command of Cdr Craig Baines).

Iroquois, Calgary and Protecteur were part of Combined Task Force 150 (then under the command of Canadian Commodore Robert Davidson) in mid-2008, and were part of the initial international response to the menace of piracy. Ville de Quebéc provided direct support to the World Food Programme in late 2008, helping to ensure that food aid was provided to those in need in war-torn Somalia. Winnipeg was in the region in the spring of 2009 as part of Standing NATO Maritime Group One.

While not specifically recognized by the IMO at this year’s awards ceremony, HMCS Fredericton, under the command of Cdr Steve Waddell, recently joined the NATO group and is presently patrolling the waters off Somalia.
Certificates of commendation were also awarded to crews of naval ships from Australia, China, Denmark, France, Germany, Greece, India, Iran, Italy, Japan, Malaysia, Netherlands, Portugal, Republic of Korea, Russian Federation, Singapore, Spain, Sweden, Turkey, United Kingdom and the U.S. – nations that have put their political differences aside in an unparalleled display of solidarity by joining forces to rid the region of the criminal element who are taking advantage of the instability in their country.{sidebar id=1}

 

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