KUWAIT: The Canadian Ambassador to Kuwait, Douglas George, held a reception on board Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Regina at the Shuwaikh Port, which is visiting Kuwait from Nov 20 to 22. He welcomed the guests including the Minister of International and Intergovernmental Relations, Cal Dallas, and his team from Alberta, the Vice President of the CCC, Canadian Commercial Corporation, Martin Zablocki, Commander Jason Boyd, the Commanding Officer, as also Regina. "It is a great honor for me to host this special reception on board Her Majesty's Canadian Ship Regina which is visiting Kuwait to say thank you to its government and people for their great efforts in supporting the Canadian forces.
The Canadian Navy remembers with pride its role in the coalition that liberated Kuwait," he pointed out. He underscored the importance Canada accords to the close relations with Kuwait. "We are ready to work together with the Kuwaiti Government and people to further strengthen our political trust, enhance our bilateral exchanges, and promote our mutually beneficial cooperation in all fields. I firmly believe that our friendship and cooperation will surely enjoy a brighter future," George said. On his part, Commanding Officer Jason Boyd said that the men and women of the Royal Canadian Navy have a shared history of sailing in these waters over the last two decades. "First, a task group of Canadian ship was amongst the coalition allies that aided in the liberation of Kuwait. Later, in the years since Sept 11, warships from Canada have regularly sailed in these waters as part of the international coalition against terrorism.
We are proud to work alongside our partners from the Kuwait Armed Forces as members of the Combined Maritime Forces," he stated. He thanked Kuwait for their hospitality and permitting HMCS Regina to visit the country. "As a sign of cooperation between our armed forces and the friendship between our countries, I note that this is the second visit by a Canadian warship in the past five months. Our sister ship, HMCS Charlottetown visited Kuwait in July of this year. And we look forward to opportunities to cooperate with the Kuwaiti Armed Forces in the future," added Boyd. During its visit to Kuwait, the ship's company of HMCS Regina is looking forward to hosting a reception for Kuwaiti business and military leaders as well as visiting the sites and attractions that Kuwait offers. Operation Artemis is the Canadian Forces' (CF) participation in maritime security and counterterrorism operations in the Arabian Sea region with the multinational CTF 150. The deployment of HMCS Regina to CTF 150 contributes significantly to the important ongoing international maritime security operation, and provides the CF with the situational awareness required to rapidly respond to future crises as directed by the Government of Canada.
HMCS Regina's mission overview: Her Majesty's Canadian Ship (HMCS) Regina - with her 250- member crew including a Sea King helicopter detachment, and an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) detachment - is deployed on Operation Artemis to serve with Combined Task Force (CTF) 150, the multinational maritime counter- terrorism force operating in the Arabian Sea. She departed her home port of Esquimalt, British Columbia on July 3, 2012 to begin the long transit to the operational area by way of the Pacific Ocean, arriving on August 19, 2012.
During this deployment, HMCS Regina's task is to detect, deter and protect against terrorist activity by patrolling and conducting maritime security operations in her area of responsibility. Her presence in the Arabian Sea also gives Canada the flexibility and capability to respond quickly to emerging crises in the region. Operation Artemis is the CF's participation in maritime security and counter-terrorism operations in the Arabian Sea region with CTF 150. This undertaking clearly demonstrates Canada's solidarity with partners and allies to work together for peace and security in the maritime environment of the greater Middle East region. On Oct 18, while operating the Gulf of Aden, HMCS Regina responded to a Yemeni dhow in distress. The dhow had run out of fuel and the crew was without food or water. HMCS Regina was able to provide food, water and sufficient fuel for the dhow to reach the port.
© Kuwait Times 2012
