[20/February/2010]

OTTAWA, Feb. 20(Saba) -- A Canadian frigate will sail to the Arabian Sea and the waters around the Horn of Africa for a six-month counter-piracy and counter-terror operation with the country's coalition partners, a Canadian senior official said on Friday, according to Xinhua.

The Halifax-based frigate, the Fredericton, will be integrated into the multinational coalition fleet known as Combined Task Force (CTF) 150.

"As a trading nation in a highly globalized world, we must remember that Canada's prosperity and security depend on safeguarding traffic on the world's oceans," Canadian Minister of National Defense Peter MacKay said.

Originally established as a formation under the U.S. Navy Central Command, CTF 150 formally became a multinational force on May 5, 2002. CTF 150 currently conducts maritime security operations in the Gulf of Aden, the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Red Sea, and the Indian Ocean.

CTF 150 is comprised of warships from Australia, Britain, Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Pakistan, Portugal, Spain, and the United States. It is currently under the command of Commodore Richard Menhinick of the Royal Australian Navy..