Japanese shipping major NYK Group has taken part in an anti-piracy training exercise with the Royal Australian Navy (RAN).
On August 15, NYK-owned containership 'ACX Diamond' participated in an escort training exercise with a RAN frigate while sailing along the east coast of Australia. This is the fifth joint exercise that NYK has conducted with RAN since 2007.
During the exercise, the RAN frigate provided an escort for the containership, and the two vessels worked on VHF communication. The escort ship will soon begin assisting the US-led Combined Task Force 151 in security patrols for pirates off Somalia.
NYK regularly participates in joint exercises with the competent authorities of various countries in order to prepare for and prevent against conceivable emergencies. In July, the company conducted a joint anti-terrorism exercise with the Hong Kong Police Force, based on a scenario in which NYK-owned containership 'NYK Venus' is taken over by a terrorist group. The exercise scenario called for the Special Duties Unit of the HKPF to dispatch high-speed boats and helicopters to the vessel, and to search for, find, and subdue the terrorists. Similar exercises have been conducted regularly since 2005 by NYK and the HKPF.