OTTAWA - A Canadian warship has been offered to the United Nations to ensure food aid makes it through the pirate-infested waters off the coast of Somalia.
Defence Minister Peter MacKay says HMCS Winnipeg will escort a UN World Food Programme ship to Somalia so it can deliver humanitarian supplies.
The warship is already in the region, conducting counter-piracy operations.
Pirates have launched dozens of attacks this year against ships off Somalia's eastern and northern coasts.
But there hasn't been a single attack against vessels carrying UN food aid while they've been under the watch of armed naval ships.
The UN requested the escort through NATO as it responds to an urgent need for life-saving supplies in Somalia.
The World Food Programme hopes to provide enough supplies this year to feed roughly 3.5 million Somalis.
