MANAMA, 11 November 2006 — The US Navy 5th Fleet Command in Bahrain yesterday said that the coalition naval forces rescued three Iraqi civilian mariners on Thursday after their skiff sank north of the Gulf near the Iraqi Khawr Al-Amaya Oil Terminal.
According to the US Navy a US Coast Guard cutter, Baranof, recovered three of the skiff’s four Iraqi crewmembers. “Commander Task Force (CTF) 158 unit continued the search for the remaining crewmember throughout the day, but the search ended late in the evening with so sign of him. It is undetermined how the vessel sank,” the statement said.
US Naval Forces Central Command’s Assistant Chief of Staff for Operations Capt. William Henderson praised the efforts of the participating US and coalition vessels.
“It was a well coordinated effort by both the CTF 158 staff and the numerous units that took part in the search and rescue efforts,” he said.
“The hard work and diligence of these units enabled us to save the lives of three of the skiff’s crew members who otherwise would’ve certainly perished at sea,” he added.
All US and coalition assets involved are forward deployed to Middle Eastern regional waters in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the Gulf and protect Iraq’s sea-based infrastructure.
