NATO warships have launched an anti-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia by escorting one ship to port with plans for a similar operation on Tuesday.
北约军舰在索马里沿海开展一项反海盗的行动，他们护送了一艘船进港，另一个类似的行动也会在星期二进行。
The NATO operation aims to help calm the situation off Somalia's coast, which has witnessed a sharp rise in pirate attacks in recent months. The 26-member alliance has authorized its ships to join an international effort to combat the piracy in the Gulf of Aden area, which is one of the world's busiest shipping regions connecting Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
北约这次行动的目的是要帮助缓解索马里沿海的局势。最近几个月来，那里海盗攻击事件暴增。由26个国家组成的北约已经授权它们的船舰加入国际行列，共同对抗在亚丁湾的海盗活动。亚丁湾连接欧洲、非洲和亚洲，是世界上最繁忙的运输区域之一。
At a press conference in Brussels, NATO Secretary General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer said the first operation escorting a boat on had gone well.
北约秘书长夏侯雅伯在布鲁塞尔举行的一次记者会上说，护送船只的第一次任务进行得很好。
"The present state of play is that one NATO ship just finished escorting a ship that was bringing in supplies for the Burundi battalion for [the AU peacekeeping mission] in Somalia," he said. "If I am well informed, a ship is on its way and will dock on the 28th of October escorting a WFP ship."
他说：“目前的情况是，北约的船舰刚刚护送完一艘船只，这艘船是给在索马里的布隆迪维和部队运送补给品。如果我得到的消息是正确的话，另一艘船正在前往当地的路上，而且会在10月28号停靠码头护送一艘世界粮食计划署的船只。”
The second NATO mission Tuesday aims to safeguard aid being brought into Somalia by the U.N. World Food Program. The east-African country has been wracked by warfare and has no functioning government - much less a navy to patrol its shores.
北约星期二要进行的第二次任务是为了保卫联合国世界粮食计划署向索马里输送的救援物资。这个非洲东部的国家受到战火蹂躏，政府已经停止运作，更别说有海军巡逻它的海岸。
Pirates have hijacked a number of ships off Somalia's coast this year, asking huge amounts of money in ransom. The most brazen act of piracy took place a month ago when a Ukrainian cargo ship was seized laden with arms. It remains in pirates' hands, despite being surrounded by U.S. forces as negotiations continue over ransom demands and handing over its passengers and cargo.
海盗今年以来已经在索马里沿海绑架了多艘船只，而且要求庞大赎金。最嚣张的海盗行动发生在一个月以前，他们劫持了一艘满载武器的乌克兰货船。这艘船现在仍在海盗手中，但美国军队包围了这艘乌克兰货船，双方还在就赎金以及释放船上乘客和货物进行谈判。
Several other countries have announced they would also dispatch ships to the region, including the European Union, in a bid to reduce pirate attacks.
欧洲联盟和其他几个国家也宣布，他们会派遣船舰到该区域，争取减少海盗攻击。
