Bahrain's Prince Salman holds talks with US-led maritime coalition

The Crown Prince also met with officials from the UK-led Operation Sentinel

Bahrain's Crown Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visisted the IMSC in Manama on Wednesday. AFP

The Crown Prince of Bahrain visited the International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) in Manama on Wednesday to discuss military operations with the US Fifth Fleet in the Gulf.

The International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) started in November and is based in Bahrain. It is designed to safeguard navigation in the Gulf, including the Strait of Hormuz, where there were a series of attacks on oil ships the US and Saudi Arabia blamed on Iran last year.

Bahrain, a base for the US Fifth Fleet, as well as Saudi Arabia and the UAE, are IMSC members. Australia and Britain are its main Western contributors.

The US Fifth Fleet's remit encompasses about 2.5 million square miles of water, including the Arabian Gulf, Arabian Sea, Gulf of Oman, Red Sea and parts of the Indian Ocean. The expanse comprises 20 countries and includes three critical choke points at the Strait of Hormuz, the Suez Canal and the Bab El Mandeb Strait at the southern tip of Yemen.

Prince Salman bin Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa visited on Wednesday the IMSC headquarters in Manama to discuss operations in the US 5th fleet base in the Gulf country, US Central Command said in a statement.

The Crown Prince also visited US Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) and the UK-led International Maritime Security Construct (IMSC) Task Force SENTINEL on Naval Support Activity Bahrain.

During his visit, Prince Salman toured NAVCENT and the IMSC headquarters to discuss US 5th Fleet and coalition partner operations.

"It was a great honour to welcome His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa to the headquarters of Naval Forces Central Command," said vice admiral Jim Malloy, commander, US Naval Forces Central Command/Commander, US Fifth Fleet.

"Our partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain is deep and enduring, and is based on a long history of friendship, trust, and a shared commitment to regional security. Under the steadfast leadership of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa and the Crown Prince, Bahrain continues to lead and pace regional efforts in the critical and collaborative work to protect and defend this vital region,” he added.

During his visit to NAVCENT, the Crown Prince received an operations and intelligence brief, and also toured the IMSC’s operations centre where he spoke with the commander, Royal Navy commodore James Parkin.

“Our partnership with Bahrain is crucial,” said Mr Parkin. “Welcoming Bahrain’s Crown Prince and sharing our mission with him emphasises the significance of what this coalition of nations is doing to deter state-sponsored malign activity and provide all mariners with a sense of assurance and security.”

Yesterday, Prince Salman met with vice admiral Jim Malloy, commander of US Naval Forces Central Command, Maggie Nardi, deputy chief of Mission at the US Embassy in Bahrain, and other senior military leaders.

In February, Britain added a formerly Plymouth-based Type 23 Frigate HMS Montrose to the coalition, to play a key role in the ISMC.

That same month, the US navy seized a large cache of illegal weapons in the Arabian Sea. The weapons seized include 150 'Dehlavieh' anti-tank guided missiles (ATGM), which are Iranian-manufactured copies of Russian Kornet ATGMs.

Other weapons components seized aboard the dhow were Iranian-made and included three Iranian surface-to-air missiles, Iranian thermal imaging weapon scopes, and Iranian components for unmanned aerial and surface vessels, as well as other munitions and advanced weapons parts.