On 21 December, a team of marines left the United Arab Emirates on board MV Swan with Tunisia as its destination. This military team, a so-called Vessel Protection Team (VPD), will protect the vulnerable sea transport against piracy.
Shortly thereafter, three more 3 VPDs got under way. The dredger ‘Athena’ and the tug ‘Multicat Oceanus’ were given protection during their journey to Mombasa. Late in 2011, a team of marines provided protection to the ‘Mighty Servant III’ of Dutch firm Dockwise. The fallpipe vessel ‘Flintstone’ of the firm Tideway was escorted on her way to Rotterdam from Singapore.
