Guided-missile destroyer USS Stout (DDG 55) tows Tanzanian-flagged passenger ferry Spice Island while in international waters off the coast of Somalia. Spice Island, which was carrying no passengers, hailed for engineering assistance when it ran out of fuel while transiting to Tanzania. Stout provided the crew with food, water and fuel and helped to get the vessel operational under its own power. Coalition forces have a long-standing tradition of helping mariners in distress by providing medical assistance, engineering assistance and search and rescue efforts. (U.S. Navy photo)USS Stout (DDG 55) operating under Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 conducting Maritime Security Operations (MSO) provided assistance to a Tanzanian-flagged passenger ferry in distress in international waters off the coast of Somalia Sept. 26.
The ferry Spice Island had no passengers on board and was traveling from Oman to Tanzania when it requested assistance the evening of Sept. 25.
Stout and a helicopter from USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) responded to the call for help. The helicopter was first on scene and established communications with the ferry’s crew. Stout arrived on scene late evening and stayed with the 180-foot vessel until sunrise when assistance operations could begin.
Coalition forces have a long-standing tradition of helping mariners in distress by providing medical assistance, engineering assistance, and search and rescue efforts.
After Stout’s boarding team conducted a safety and security inspection, Stout took the vessel under tow while it provided the ferry’s 10-man crew with food, water and 7,800 gallons of fuel.
Stout’s Chief Engineer, Lt. Trent Thompson, oversaw the 12-hour operation aboard Spice Island.
“The crew was very glad to see us,” said Thompson. “The vessel’s engines had stopped. She was completely out of fuel and her food and water supplies were running low. She was also adrift in an area prone to piracy.”
After Stout’s team got the ferry steaming on its own, the Spice Island resumed her transit to Tanzania.
Stout is deployed to the region with the Enterprise Carrier Strike Group, but is currently operating in the Indian Ocean as part of CTF 150. Stout is homeported in Norfolk, Va.
CTF 150 is commanded by Pakistan Navy Commodore Khan Hasham Bin Saddique and is responsible for MSO in the Gulf of Oman, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea, North Arabian Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean.
MSO help set the conditions for security and stability in the maritime environment. Coalition forces conduct these operations under international maritime conventions so that commercial shipping and fishing can occur safely in the region.
