SA Navy in multinational flotilla.

NATO warships are scouting the coast of Africa on a mission that could lay the groundwork for action by the alliance against pirates off Somalia.

The six ships are taking part in manoeuvres with the South African Navy as part of a circumnavigation of the continent, the first by a Nato force.

Admiral James Burnell-Nugent, commander of the Nato flotilla, said yesterday that the Africa mission was intended to get the alliance’s maritime forces more involved outside their traditional arena but should not be seen as “expansion”.

He said: “It’s got nothing to do with oil or the war on terror.”

The intention was to improve Nato’s ability to protect trade routes and to increase its knowledge of “the good guys and the bad guys” in the region.

Burnell-Nugent said the “bad guys” included human traffickers and pirates operating off the Horn of Africa.

Asked if the mission were a prelude to direct Nato action against the pirates, who have raided ships carrying food aid to the region, he said: “That depends on Nato’s resolve ... but if you don’t understand what’s going on, you haven’t got the knowledge from which these issues can be addressed.”

The chief of the South African Navy, Vice-Admiral Johannes Mudimu, said the Nato exercise would “contribute to bringing our newly acquired vessels to operational readiness”.

The Nato ships are from Canada, Denmark, Germany, the US, the Netherlands and Portugal.

Source: The Times