NATO will extend its anti-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia until the end of 2014, stressing that foreign navies are helping to reduce the number of hijackings. In a message published yesterday/ on Monday, NATO Secretary General Anders Fogh Rasmussen said international efforts are “making a difference, with the number of successful pirate hijacking down significantly in 2012”.
Operation Ocean Shield, which currently has four warships at sea, has patrolled the Horn of Africa, has acted to disrupt armed robberies on the high seas and escorted UN ships bringing aid to Mogadishu since 2008.