MANAMA: The Royal Saudi Naval Forces have taken over command of the Combined Task Force 150 for the third time in a ceremony held at the headquarters of the US Naval Base in Bahrain. RSNF Commodore Abdullah Al-Mutairi officially took over command of CTF-150 from Pakistan Navy Rear Adm. Zulfiqar Mohammad during the ceremony. The CTF-150 was established in 2002 as one of four task forces. The four forces operate under the command of the Combined Maritime Forces in the US Fifth Fleet in Bahrain, and it is the largest international maritime partnership in the world. Its tasks are to implement maritime security operations in large areas of operations, estimated at 200 million square meters, covering the Gulf of Oman, the Arabian Sea, the Indian Ocean, the Gulf of Aden, and the Red Sea. It combats terrorism and the activities supporting it, such as human smuggling, drugs and weapons trafficking. It also helps to ensure freedom of international navigation and the flow of international trade safely and securely in areas that are the main arteries for global trade and economy. RSNF Command received these tasks for the first time from the British Royal Navy on July 30, 2018. It received the command for a second time from its French counterparts in August 2020. The Combined Maritime Forces comprise 34 countries and have their headquarters in Bahrain with the Central Command of the US Naval Forces and the US Fifth Fleet.