A Japanese support ship departed Sasebo, southwestern Japan's Nagasaki prefecture Friday for resumed refueling operations for foreign vessels participating in a U.S.-led anti-terrorism drive in the Indian Ocean, Kyodo News said.
The 13,500-ton vessel Oumi will supply oil and water for the foreign vessels in and near Afghanistan. The Maritime Self-Defense Force's refueling mission is restarting following a three-month pause.
The support ship will join the MSDF destroyer Murasame to form a two-vessel task force, which include a total of 340 crew members, the report said. Murasame left its base in Yokosuka, south of Tokyo on Thursday.
Japan halted a six-year refueling support in the Indian Ocean at the end of October 2007, as the special anti-terrorism measures law authorizing such operations expired on Nov. 1. Earlier this month, Japan's parliament enacted a new law to resume the MSDF's refueling operations through a rare second vote in the lower house.
The new law defines the refueling activities as supplying oil and water to foreign vessels engaged in anti-terrorism maritime interdiction operations in the Indian Ocean and limits the activities to "non-combat" areas in the Indian Ocean. The law is valid for one year.
Source:Xinhua
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