Eu Naval Force News

The European Union's counter-piracy outfit announced a new Deputy Commander has taken over to lead its maritime security operations off the coast of Somalia.European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia - Operation ATALANTA said RAdm Messina (Italian Navy) handed over the role of Deputy Operation Commander (DCOM) of the EU NAVFOR Somalia to RAdm Slaars (French Navy) during a ceremony presided by Operation Commander, Vice Admiral José M. Núñez Torrente at Operation Headquarters (OHQ) in Rota…

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…

EU Naval Force warship ESPS Rayo conducted Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) training in support of the Djiboutian Coast Guard, during her port visit to Djibouti on 30 August. The training began with a briefing on board ESPS Rayo for the Djiboutian Coast Guard personnel. This was followed by comprehensive training in fire fighting techniques, as well as the use of protective clothing used to safely fight a fire. Those receiving the training showed great interest in both damage control techniques and equipment and at the end of the session expressed their appreciation and willingness to take part in other training opportunities to continue to develop their skills.

An Indian registered cargo dhow that was hijacked by suspected Somali pirates on April 1 is now in the vicinity of Hobyo, a major meeting point of pirates when they were most active in 2011, the EU Naval Force said on Monday, giving a location for the vessel for the first time. "An EU Naval Force maritime patrol aircraft has confirmed the exact location of the dhow and has attempted to establish radio communications but without success," it said in a statement on its website. "Investigations and operations are ongoing."   Reporting by George Obulutsa

Pirates off the coast of Somalia, who hijacked an oil tanker with eight Sri Lankan crew on board, are demanding a ransom for the release of the vessel, the EU Naval Force said. The pirates seized the Comoros-flagged Aris 13 tanker on Monday, the first such hijacking in the region since 2012, and took it to the port of Alula in the semi-autonomous northern region of Puntland. "The EU Naval Force ... has received positive confirmation from the master of ... Aris 13, that his ship and crew are currently being held captive by a number of suspected armed pirates in an anchorage off the north coast of Puntland, close to Alula," the force said in a statement late on Tuesday.

The EU anti-piracy operation in the Horn of Africa  region said that  Pirates are demanding a ransom for the release of the Comoros-flagged oil tanker Aris 13 seized off the coast of Somalia and the crew is being held captive, the AP reported. An EU naval force statement said the operation had finally made contact with the ship’s master, who confirmed that armed men were onboard the 1,800 dwt ship. The reported seizure Monday of the ship, which was the first such seizure of a large commercial vessel off Somalia since 2012, came as a surprise to the global shipping industry as patrols by the navies of NATO countries, as well as China, India and Iran, had suppressed Somali pirate hijackings for several years.

The European Council has extended the mandate for European Union Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR) - Operation ATALANTA - until 31 December 2018, which means Cohort company MASS will continue to provide the Classified Mission Network for the enduring Operation. Operation ATALANTA was launched in December 2008 to contribute to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. The operation also protects vessels of the World Food Programme and other vulnerable shipping, monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia and supports other EU missions and programmes in the region. MASS provides the core operational mission network for the effective command and control of this multi-national Operation both ashore and afloat.

The European Council has extended Operation Atalanta’s mandate to deter, disrupt and repress acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia through December 31, 2018. Operation Atalanta’s two-year mandate extension, enacted on November 25, 2016, comes amidst concerns within European Union Member States that whilst pirate attacks on merchant ships transiting the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean are currently suppressed, pirates still have the intent and capability to go out to sea and mount an attack.

Merchant vessels sailing through busy shipping lanes between Somalia and Yemen may be underestimating the risk of piracy and terrorism following two attempted attacks last month, maritime officials say. More than 40 percent of the world's seaborne oil supplies pass through the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, a major shipping lane also used to move exports and commodities such as food between Asia and Europe. The European Union's counter-piracy naval force (EU Navfor) confirmed on Nov. 4 that six armed men attacked chemical tanker CPO Korea 330 nautical miles (610 km) east of Somalia on Oct.

​Merchant shipping should continue to take protective measures against possible piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and the western Indian Ocean through diligent application of International Maritime Organization (IMO) guidance and Best Management Practices (BMPs). IMO Secretary-General Kitack Lim and Operation Commander Major General Rob Magowan of the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta, which operates off the coast of Somalia, reiterated this key message when they met at IMO Headquarters in London on 6 October. The two agreed that naval forces are still very much required in the West Indian Ocean to help prevent a possible resurgence of piracy and Lim welcomed the extension of the Operation Atalanta counter-piracy mandate to the end of 2018.

Maritime forces from Eastern Africa, Western Indian Ocean island nations, Europe and the United States, as well as several international organizations began the fifth iteration of the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 30. Cutlass Express 2016, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness (MDA) and information sharing practices to increase capabilities of participating nations to counter sea-based illicit activity. PORT VICTORIA, Seychelles (NNS) -- Maritime forces from Eastern Africa, Western Indian Ocean island nations, Europe and the United States, as well as several international organizations began the fifth iteration of the multinational maritime exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 30.

Though the maritime sector has seen a decline in Somali piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden, there is no room for complacency regarding the ongoing threat, says EU Naval Force Operation Commander, Major General Martin Smith MBE. Addressing senior shipping industry representatives at breakfast meeting earlier this week, Smith credited the ‘collective effort’ of shipping companies and dedicated naval forces for the reduction in pirate attacks since 2012. However, while the opportunity for pirates to get out to sea and attack ships had reduced…

At a breakfast meeting earlier today with senior shipping industry representatives, the EU Naval Force Operation Commander, Major General Martin Smith MBE, stated that whilst Somali-based piracy in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden is suppressed, there is no room for complacency regarding the ongoing threat. Major General Smith welcomed the significant reduction in pirate attacks since 2012, stating that this had been achieved by the ‘collective effort’ of shipping companies and dedicated naval forces, including the European Union Naval Force. The General warned however that whilst opportunity for pirates to get out to sea and attack ships had reduced, the pirates’ intent and capability remains.

An Iranian fishing vessel and its crew have escaped after being held captive for five months by Somali fishermen, maritime piracy experts said on Friday, but it was not clear how many crew members had escaped. Jaber, an Iranian fishing vessel believed to have up to 19 crew, was captured on March 26, along with another Iranian fishing vessel, Siraj. Local officials accused them of illegal fishing in Somali waters. Although there are still rare cases of sea attacks, piracy in the Indian Ocean has largely subsided in the past three years, mainly due to shipping firms hiring private security details and the presence of international warships.

Italian merchant vessel MV Altinia was towed into the Port of Djibouti after encountering engine problems which left the ship adrift in the Gulf of Aden. Assisting the stricken vessel was EU Naval Force flagship ESPS Galicia, who responded to the disabled ship’s mayday call while conducting counterpiracy patrols in the region. ESPS Galicia sailed close to MV Altina to provide protection from any potential pirate attack while spare engine parts were acquired from a nearby Combined Task Force 151 warship.

The EU Naval Force mission in the Mediterranean will need to be multi-agency in outlook if it is to succeed. Strong liaison across different agencies, including the commercial shipping sector will need to be a central element in the EU’s plans to act against human traffickers in the Mediterranean says leading maritime security company MAST. Whilst talks are currently taking place in Brussels focused on the EU plans to set up a European Naval Force to fight people smuggling operations in Libya…

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.

As part of the European Union’s efforts to enhance regional states’ maritime security capabilities in the Horn of Africa, on March 15 EUCAP Nestor gave six Nissan 4×4 vehicles, as well as IT and communications equipment, to the Coast Guard of the Federal Government of Somalia in Mogadishu. The EU Naval Force flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, helped to deliver two of the vehicles by sea via their Landing Craft Utility vehicles and EUTM staff assisted the teams on the ground. The handover of the vehicles and equipment took place during a ceremony at the EUCAP Nestor compound in Mogadishu…

Maritime forces from East Africa, South Africa, Europe, Indian Ocean nations, the United States and several international organizations began the fourth iteration of the multinational maritime Exercise Cutlass Express, Jan. 28, 2015. Exercise Cutlass Express 2015, sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), is designed to improve regional cooperation, maritime domain awareness (MDA) and information-sharing practices to increase capabilities of East African and Indian Ocean nations to counter sea-based illicit activity. The exercise leverages The Djibouti Code of Conduct, which 21 nations are signatory to, as a framework for exercising information-sharing practices and enforcing maritime rule of law at sea.

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.

A Spanish warship ESPS Rayo will be deployed in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for the next six months. ESPS Rayo is part of Spain's contribution to the European Union's fight against piracy. Spanish Navy warship, ESPS Rayo recently joined the EU Naval Force (EU Navfor) and will be deployed in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for the next six months. The warship is part of Spain’s contribution to the European Union’s (EU) fight against piracy in the Horn of Africa. ESPS Rayo is a modern, multipurpose Oceanic Patrol Vessel (OPV), capable of accomplishing a wide range of operational tasks. Commissioned to the Spanish Navy in May 2012, the ship has a displacement of 2,500 tonnes, is 95m long and, for this counterpiracy mission, has a crew of 83 on board.

After three months of operating with the European Union Naval Force, a maritime protection team from Serbia handed over its World Food Program (WFP) vessel protection duties to Croatia. The handover ceremony took place on December 28, 2014, in Djibouti. The Serbian team has spent the past three months embarked in WFP vessel, MV MSM Douro, providing protection at sea from pirate attacks along the Somali coast. Members of the Croatian Forces will be embarked in MV MSM Douro for up to four months. Since the EU Naval Force began protecting WFP vessels in 2009, none have been attacked or pirated.

The EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, paid a port visit to Madagascar from December 15-19, berthing for the first time in the bay of Antsiranana. On Monday, December 15, Rear Admiral Guido Rando and the Commanding Officer of ITS Andrea Doria, Captain Angelo Virdis were welcomed by the Chief of the Madagascan Armed Forces and other senior officials, who expressed their gratitude and appreciation for the success of the EU Naval Force’s counter-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta, and its continuous effort to defeat piracy off the East Coast of Africa.