EU conducts naval exercise with Oman, S. Korea

BRUSSELS, Oct 19 (KUNA) -- The European Union, Oman and South Korea conducted their first joint naval and information exchange exercise in the Gulf of Aden and the Arabian Sea on Monday.
The exercise involved the EU Naval Force Somalia - Operation Atalanta flagship, frigate Victoria, South Korea's destroyer Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin, as well as the Oman Maritime Security Centre.
Based on the scenario of an anti-piracy operation, the joint naval exercise included boarding a vessel with helicopter-borne special operations forces, live heavy machine gun fire, a search and rescue operation, and complex tactical evolutions at sea, said an EU press release Tuesday.
The newly adopted EU Strategy for Cooperation in the Indo-Pacific calls for more joint activities with Indo-Pacific partners to promote maritime security in the region, it noted. (end) nk.sam