Operation Allied Protector
Operation Allied Protector was an anti-piracy military operation undertaken by NATO forces from March – August 2009 in the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean, and the Guardafui Channel to protect maritime routes from pirates within the International Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). It was the second NATO anti-piracy operation in area following Operation Allied Provider and was succeeded by Operation Ocean Shield. From 24 March – June 2009, the operation was conducted by Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1). This was the first time that SNMG1, which had previously operated in the Eastern Atlantic, was deployed to  Southeast Asia. From 29 June – August 2009, Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) took over responsibility from SNMG1. Operations. On 16 March 2009, SNMG1 departed from Souda Bay for the Gulf of Aden. On 28 March 2009, received a piracy emergency call from "Grandezza", a Maldivian-flagged yacht in the Gulf of Aden. The vessel reported that it was under machine gun and rocket-propelled grenade attack from at least one pirate skiff. Two Sikorsky SH-60 Seahawk helicopters were scrambled from "Halyburton" and disrupted the attack. Due to the distance from the incident, the pirates were able to retreat before  NATO surface forces arrived. later debriefed the crew of "Grandezza" and obtained statements and photographs from the attack. On 18 April 2009, at approximately 3:00 pm local time, stopped an attempted pirate attack of the Norwegian oil tanker MV "Front Ardenne". Seven pirates were ultimately detained after a several hour pursuit involving , USS "Halyburton", and "Wave Knight". According to NATO, the suspects were "interrogated, disarmed...[and]were set free according to national regulations." From 26–27 April 2009, SNMG1 made a port call in Karachi, Pakistan. Due to an increased amount of pirate activity, two other port visits in Singapore and Australia  were cancelled. Furthermore, the end of SNMG1's participation in the operation was brought forward from June to May. On 1 May 2009, intervened in an attempted pirate attack of the Norwegian oil tanker MV "Kition". The sole pirate skiff retreated to a dhow mothership, which was later intercepted by NATO surface forces. Eight Portuguese marines boarded the craft and detained 19 suspects and recovered several weapons, including several high-explosives. According to "Côrte-Real"s commander, this was the first time that such weapons were recovered from a pirate vessel. On 24 May 2009, a Canadian frigate boarded two pirate  skiffs off the coast of Somalia, resulting in seizure of equipment, arms, and ammunition. Deployed units. The following units were deployed in Operation Allied Protector: