The change-of-command ceremony was held on board the Royal Navy frigate HMS Cornwall, in the north African state of Djibouti Thursday morning.

Singapore's Armed Forces (SAF) will also be deploying a Fokker-50 maritime patrol aircraft to perform maritime air surveillance in the Gulf of Aden from April to July 2011.

Rear Admiral Harris Chan will lead the CTF 151 command team to coordinate counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden over the next three months, an official statement said.

The command team, comprising 25 SAF personnel, will operate from the US Navy destroyer USS Mason and will work closely with task forces from the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation and the European Union as well as with navies from other countries assigned to protect national vessels operating in the Gulf of Aden. Joining the Singapore's command team are five officers from Indonesia, New Zealand, South Korea and Saudi Arabia.

Said Admiral Chan: "The Gulf of Aden remains a key sea lane that depends on international cooperation to keep it safe for everyone's use. My command team has spent the last few months preparing, planning and training for this mission. We are committed and focused on our mission to deter and disrupt piracy in the Gulf of Aden."