French navy to protect TEAMs vessel at Somalian coast

The French navy will join the Kenyan navy to offer security to the ship laying The East African Marine System Cable (TEAMS) when it reaches the coast of Somalia.

The two navies will provide a vessel to escort the Alcatel team laying the submarine cable, said Bitange Ndemo, permanent secretary in the Kenyan Ministry of Information and Communication.

Taking additional precautions, the Alcatel team will also move 90 kilometers off the coast of Somalia to ensure that it is in international waters.

The NATO team patrolling the Indian Ocean has been unable to control the notorious pirates in the Gulf of Aden, and additional security and rerouting will raise the cost of the TEAMs project by a few million dollars.