Tanker Boarded by Somali Police is Safe and Underway
A Panama-flagged ship boarded by Somali police is safe and underway, the EU Naval Force said on Saturday, after conflicting reports two days earlier about whether it had been hijacked by Somali pirates.The Aegean II had originally altered its course due to a damaged hull and after local police had boarded it, "there had been certain incidents on board the vessel", the EU force said in a statement."At this point, it cannot be classified as a maritime security incident, but a more detailed investigation is in progress…
Maritime SAR Exercise in the Seychelles
On Friday, April 10, the Seychelles Coast Guard, Air Force, Seychelles Civil Aviation Authority (SCAA), Seychelles Maritime Safety Administration (SMSA) carried out a comprehensive search and rescue (SAR)exercise in the Seychelles. The Maritime Police Patrol Unit (MPPU) as well as other authorities participated as observers. The exercise was conducted together with EUCAP Nestor and the EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta represented by the Dutch Flagship Johan de Witt, on board the Swedish Force Commander Rear Admiral Jonas Haggren.
Seychelles Anti-Piracy Exercise
On Thursday 8 January, a counter-piracy exercise was carried out jointly by the Seychelles Coast Guard, Air Force and Police together with the EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta-, and the EU’s civilian maritime security capacity building Mission, EUCAP Nestor. The purpose of the exercise was twofold; firstly, to practice cooperation between the Coast Guard, Air Force, the Police and EUNAVFOR Atalanta a joint counter-piracy operation, and secondly to test procedures and routines linked to effective processing of suspected pirates and evidence handling at sea.
Pirates Flee Captured Dhow under EU NAVFOR Pressure
On Saturday, April 26 the master of a dhow spoke of his relief after six armed pirates, who had taken his vessel and crew hostage, fled the scene after sightings of an EU Naval Force Spanish maritime patrol and reconnaissance (MPRA) aircraft. The master confirmed his ordeal to members of the Boarding Team from the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg, after the German warship had closed the sea area to investigate the dhow. The master stated that the pirates had forced him and his crew to sail to the Gulf of Aden…
Spanish Vessel Joins Operation Atalanta
EU Naval Force reported today that the Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV), ESPS Relámpago joined its force to perform counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia. Contributing to Operation Atalanta, ESPS Relámpago is the new Spanish contribution in place of ESPS Tornado which is now on her way home. ESPS Relámpago and her 83 crew will be part of the EU Naval Force for four months. Deputy Commander of EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Bartolomé Bauzá said, “I am very pleased to see Spain’s ongoing contribution to Operation Atalanta.
Warships Meet Replenishment Ship at Sea
On January 21, EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco, FGS Hessen and ESPS Tornado rendezvoused at sea for a joint replenishment at sea (RAS) with the logistics American ship, USNS Joshua Humphreys from Task Force 53. The RAS saw more than 600 men and women from the EU Naval Force gathered in the same sea area in the Somali Basin, with the excellent coordination between all four ships ensuring that the refueling was carried out quickly and efficiently. On completion, the crews from EU Naval Force ships saluted the crew from USNS Joshua Humphreys and each other…
Counter-piracy Force Assists Disabled Vessel
The dhow put out a distress signal reporting she was drifting at sea without propulsion. NATO warship, ITS Grecale was the closest ship and gave immediate assistance, later joined by EUNAVFOR warship, FGS Berlin which provided much needed medical support, together with food and 500 litres of water. Despite FGS Berlin engineers' overnight effort, the damaged engine could not be restarted. The following day, ESPS Patino took over the rescue mission and gave reassurance, medical assistance and food to the worried passengers. Subsequently Patino was able to tow the dhow to safety.
Piracy in Somali Basin Surges
According to a May 14 report from the Xinhua News Agency, The European Union (EU) naval force protecting shipping off Somalia said that the number of pirate ships operating between the Seychelles and the Somali coast has skyrocketed in the last three months. The EU force, along with NATO and others, has interrupted and dismantled over 60 pirate groups and processed roughly 400 suspected pirates in the last 12 weeks alone -- three times the number of piracy groups recorded last year according to an EU NAVFOR official. (Source: Xinhua News Agency)
EU Force Has Serious Ship Shortage
The European Union's 60,000 strong rapid reaction force due to be operational from 2003 lacks ships and aircraft and may not be ready to carry out its designated tasks until 2010, Reuters reported. The force, whose mandate includes readiness to evacuate Europeans from trouble spots as far as 10,000 km (6,100 miles) from Brussels and intervene militarily up to 4,000 km (2,450 miles) away, was so ill-equipped that it might not be able to carry out its tasks until 2010. "The year 2003 is very unrealistic. It is more like closer to 2010," Michael Clarke, a professor at the Center for Defense Studies at Kings College in London. "It is not at all impossible that this is the case," Swedish Defense Minister Bjorn von Sydow was quoted as saying.
