Pirates - Two patrol boats alongside pirates boat - side view

Side view of two patrol boats from HMAS Parramatta alongside a pirate boat. At that time the Parramatta was deployed on the 23rd rotation to Operation Slipper. On this deployment the Parramatta was under the operational control of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). CMF is a multi-national force comprised of more than 24 countries based in Bahrain, whose common aim is to increase the security and prosperity of the Persian Gulf and surrounding regions. The Parramatta's duties included conducting close escort operations for merchant traffic along the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Arden and also to engage in Maritime Security Operations around the Horn of Africa and in the waters to the east of Somalia in order to stamp out acts of piracy and armed robbery in those waters. See also P10039.020 and P10039.022.