"Piracy was a really big issue several years ago," Edmundson said on Friday. "There has been a notable reduction in the number of significant piracy events. The piracy situation in the region is definitely diminished."
Edmundson is the Commander of Combined Task Force 150 and Operation ARTEMIS, which is Canada’s contribution to maritime security and counterterrorism operations in the international waters of the greater Middle East region, including the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Arabian Sea, and Gulf of Oman.
The commodore noted that a number of countries, including China, Russia and the European Union, have sent naval forces to carry out counter-piracy operations in the region.
Edmundson also said that Canada has seen no indication of looted material from Syria and Iraq being smuggled through the international waters outside the Persian (Arabian) Gulf.
"Outside the Arabian Gulf…we have not seen any indication of movement of that type of material," Edmundson said when asked about ongoing looting in Syria and Iraq.
