OTTAWA- On August 19, 2008, the frigate Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Ville de Québec begins escorting a World Food Programme (WFP) ship loaded with life-saving supplies from Mombasa, Kenya to Mogadishu, Somalia. This trip is the first of many; Ville de Québec is committed to her humanitarian mission for the next six weeks.
The frigate's presence off the east coast of Africa is the result of a request to Canada from the WFP and the Inte rnational Maritime Organization, both agencies of the United Nations. After more than 20 years of instability and insecurity, Somalia is now suffering from severe drought and facing increasing world food prices.
"It is super to be in Momba sa, where we have met the master and crew of the first WFP ship that we will escort. It is clear talking to local U.N. officials that they are immensely grateful to Canada for providing a ship to conduct this worthy mission. Myself and the crew of Vil le de Québec are truly honoured and proud to have been chosen for this task," said Commander Chris Dickinson, commanding officer of HMCS Ville de Québec.
The WFP shipments are intended to meet the urgent needs of more than 2.4 million Somalis who rely on food aid, of which 90 percent arrives by sea. The flow of aid to Somalia is threatened by pirates off the coast; according to the International Maritime Bureau, pirates have attacked 24 vessels so far this year, and a total of 31 in 2007. However, to date no escorted World Food Programme ship has been targeted.
WFP aid supports recipients at the rate of eight people per ton per year. The 112,500 tons of food delivered by ships escorted by Danish, French and Dutch warships between November 2007 and June 2008 was enough to feed 1 million people for six months. A Dutch frigate escorted the last ship loaded with food for beneficiaries in Somalia at the end of June.
HMCS Ville de Québec deployed from Halifax on July 17, 2008 on Operation SEXTANT, Canada's participation in Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), which is currently operating in the Mediterranean Sea. The escort task brings Ville de Québec i nto Operation ALTAIR, Canada's maritime contribution to the international campaign against terrorism in the Persian Gulf/Arabian Sea region. At the end of September, when the escort mission is complete, Ville de Québec will return to her original tasking with SNMG1, which is scheduled to end in December.
Canada currently has three ships deployed with Operation ALTAIR: the destroyer HMCS Iroquois (flagship), the frigate HMCS Calgary, and the auxiliary oil replenishment ship HMCS Protecteur.
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Notes for news and assignment editors:
For recent still imagery of HMCS VDQ and Canadian naval vessels at work, visit www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca.
For video: http://www.combatcamera.forces.gc.ca/common/combatcamera/news/
For interviews with the Commanding Officer and crew of HMCS VDQ, contact the Media Liaison Office at 1-866-377-0811.
For more information on Operation SEXTANT and Operation ALTAIR, visit www.cefcom.forces.gc.ca.
For more information on the World Food Programme, visit http://www.wfp.org
