KARACHI: Nato warships sailed out on Monday to take part in an exercise with Pakistan Navy and its air units against piracy, terrorism and human trafficking in the Arabian Sea.

Nine warships, four of Nato and five of Pakistan Navy, are taking part in the exercise which has assumed great significance in the wake of latest incidents of piracy in the Horn of Africa with similar potential in the North Arabia Sea because of growing Taliban and Al Qaeda threat emanating from tribal areas and Afghanistan.

Nato warships from the Netherlands, Portugal, Spain and Canada, carrying about 800 personnel, anchored here on Sunday for the two-day exercise.

The exercise will provide an opportunity to reassess the timely force availability by developing mission-tailored units, both fleet and marines, augmented with specialised modular units and command-and-control elements, capable of flexibly switching roles and tasks, at and from the sea.

It will also put on test the so-called effective intelligence through collective situational awareness and information dominance.

The exercise will contribute in effective command and control by optimising inter-operability in the conduct of networked operations and logistic sustainability by further developing the sea-base concept to enhance operational endurance that may ultimately evolve into the ship/scout-fighter concept as part of the navy’s contribution to both homeland maritime security and forward-deployed expeditionary maritime presence.

The purpose of the exercise is also to test survivability and force protection by providing flexible defence against various types of missiles, mines, torpedoes and improvised explosive devices and the means for close-in engagement of asymmetric threats or militant maritime forces.

After two days of exercise, Nato ships will proceed to the coast of Somalia where piracy has become a potential threat to international seaborne traffic. The threat has compelled China to dispatch its naval missions to the Horn of Africa to send the message that it would not tolerate activities aimed at chocking the Straits of Hormuz and Straits of Malacca.

Talking to the media onboard Portuguese Navy Frigate NRP ‘Corte-Real’, Rear Admiral Pereira Da Cunha, Commander of the Standing Nato Maritime Group-I, said collective efforts had to be made to fight sea crimes, such as piracy and terrorism, because they had no boundaries.

The exercise was also aimed at strengthening longstanding military and diplomatic ties with Pakistan and its navy, he added.