Seoul Warship Begins Convoy Mission Off Somalia

A South Korean warship deployed to Somali waters began convoying the country's vessels, an official said Thursday, as tension mounts in the region after pirates vowed revenge for the thwarting of a recent hijacking by the U.S. navy.

The Munmu the Great, carrying a crew of 300, started escorting a 12,000-ton South Korean chemical transporter, Pine Galaxy, at 8:00 a.m. (Korean time) off the coast of Oman, Col. Lee Hyoung-kook, who oversees the Cheonghae naval unit from the Joint Chiefs of Staff, was quoted as saying by Yonhap News.

It is expected to take 13 hours for the destroyer to escort the commercial vessel westward along the 790-kilometer-long Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor to the coast off Djibouti, Lee said in a briefing.

He also said the recent surge in pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden poses a threat but voiced confidence the South Korean unit is ready to deal with any contingency.

"We have trained with various situations in mind. We're optimally ready," he said.

Somalia has not had a functional government or maritime authorities since its dictator was dethroned by warlords in 1991. Poverty has driven a large number of farmers and fishermen to piracy, and black market sales of weapons run rampant.

According to the U.S. navy, about two dozen hijackings have occurred this year, well ahead of the pace in 2008. Somali pirates recently captured the captain of a U.S. vessel but were killed by U.S. Navy SEALS after a tense standoff.