The Royal Navy of Oman, is the maritime component of the Royal Armed Forces of the Sultanate of Oman. Given its long coastline and strategic location along the Indian Ocean, as well as being close to the Strait of Hormuz, the Royal Navy is one of the priorities of the government of Oman. It has a fleet of gunboats, fast missile boats and support, training, cargo and hydro-graphical survey vessels, which can be deployed to defend the territorial waters and coastline of Oman as well as protect tankers passing through the Strait of Hormuz. The Royal Navy's headquarters are in As Sib, several miles west of Muscat, the capitol. A modernization program is ongoing, with the objective of creating a first rate fleet. HM spared no effort to build a modern naval force compatible to international navies. The Royal Navy of Oman is a highly capable modern and efficient naval force. The Sultanate of Oman is situated in a large water area and its EEZ is estimated to be half a million km². In order to maintain its national interests and national security and to impose national sovereignty on its territorial waters, the Sultanate possesses a powerful Navy which enables her to continuously maintain a vigil over its territorial waters. The tasks and duties of RNO are to impose national sovereignty on Omani territorial waters, secure patrol tasks in territorial water and the EEZ, protect Naval bases and other establishments, ensure sea shipping for SAF units along the Sultanate coasts, conduct hydrographic surveys for the Omani coasts, provide defence operational to both RAFO and ROP coast guard in RAS operations and provide assistance to civilians during disasters and fire fighting at sea, support coastguard unit to deter piracy operations and illegal migration, fight smuggling operations and to support Foreign Relations of the Sultanate by implementing courtesy visits programmes from/to the brotherly and friendly countries and to protect fishing zones and other natural resources.