GULF GLOSSARY
▶ CMF The Combined Maritime Forces is a 32-nation naval partnership of which the UAE is a member. It conducts security operations, counters terrorism, narcotics smuggling and prevents piracy.
▶ EuNavfor The European Union Naval Force’s area of operations includes the Somali coastal territory.
▶ World oil chokepoints Narrow channels along sea routes that are key because of the high volume of petroleum and other products transported through them.
▶ Bab el Mandeb A vital chokepoint between the Middle East and Africa that connects the Red Sea with the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea. About 4.8 million barrels of crude oil and petroleum products a day passed through last year. The strait is 29 kilometres wide at its narrowest point.
▶ Strait of Hormuz The world’s most important chokepoint, linking the Arabian Gulf with the Gulf of Oman and the Arabian Sea. Accounts for 30 per cent of all seaborne traded crude oil and other liquids with an oil flow of 17 million barrels a day in 2015, and 18.5 million barrels a day last year. It is 33km wide at its narrowest point.
▶ MSTC A new maritime security transit corridor. The two-way link directly connects the Bab el Mandeb with the internationally recommended transit corridor in the Gulf of Aden.
▶ IRTC The internationally recommended transit corridor protects ships travelling through the Gulf of Aden.
Recent attacks linked to Yemen conflict
▶ Attackers fire rocket-propelled grenades on oil tanker MT Muskie in southern Bab el Mandeb on May 31.
▶ Small boat explodes in a thwarted attack on a tanker in the Gulf of Aden in May.
▶ Saudi frigate off Yemen coast attacked in January.
▶ Missile fire targets two US warships and a UAE vessel in September and October last year.
Piracy attacks
▶ Pirates attack bulk carrier OS 35 in Gulf of Aden on April 8, Indian and Chinese navies respond to crew’s distress call.
▶ Hijacking of tanker Aris 13 en route to Mogadishu on March 13 marks the first successful hijacking of a merchant ship by Somali pirates since 2012. Crew rescued after four days.
▶ A dhow, Al Kausar, hijacked on March 31 en route to Yemen from Dubai, the men were freed on April 10.
▶ Five incidents off Somalia reported so far this year, including two in which vessels were fired on by Somali pirates.