Spain, S. Korea and Japan to add to Gulf of Aden Piracy Patrols

Reported here:

Spanish parliamentary has agreed on Wednesday anti piracy decision, where they will send troops to chase Somali pirates in the Gulf of Aden, as part of EU anti piracy mission.

The parliament has reached the decision which will deploy 395 troops in the Gulf of Aden. Spain has been operating off Somali waters since last year. It already has a P-3 maritime surveillance plane with 70 troops at a French air base in Djibouti, just north of Somalia, and those assets will now go toward the EU task force against piracy, involving various EU nations.

Spanish Defense Minister Carme Chacon told parliament before the vote that the fight against piracy "is of vital importance for the defense of the geostrategic and economic interests of Spain, and will provide security to our fishing fleet," according to a defense ministry statement.
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The Japanese government has planned to send ships of the Maritime Self-defense to fight piracy on the dangerous coasts of Somalia, the Kyodo news agency reported on Tuesday.
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Also South Korea?s cabinet has approved on Tuesday to join the Seoul administration anti piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden, while the government will send a warship and 310 troops to combat piracy off Somalia, South Korea media reported.

Cabinet officials ratified the plan to dispatch a Navy destroyer -- the Ganggamchan -- and about 310 troops to the waters off the Gulf of Aden, ministry officials said.