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Norwegians to protect Somalia

The Norwegian firm Clear Ocean has purchased the former Norwegian frigate "Horten" from the Defence Department, with the aim to set up a fishery protection agency in Somalia.

The plan is to buy another five to six vessels, six helicopters and one surveillance plane, and to hire a crew of 150 to operate the ships.

The company will carry out inspection of the fisheries zone off the Somali coast and also protect vessels against pirates on behalf of the Somali authorities.

– This is a unique contract. We are the only private company in the world which will manage the fisheries, chase pirates and in general protect the waters as we will no be doing on behalf of the Somali governmanet, says Clear Ocean partner Svein Johnsen to the financial newspaper Dagens Næringsliv.

He says they may also be able to protect Norwegian shipping against pirates if they are called upon to do so by Norwegian shipowners.