Piracy – Task Force Commander Confirms Djibouti Ties

EU NAVFOR Force Commander emphasizes development of regional co-operation in the fight against piracy during Djibouti port call

The EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) French flag ship FS Marne visited Djibouti between Saturday 21 April and Friday 27 April.  Whilst there the Task Force Commander, Rear Admiral Jean-Baptiste Dupuis and his staff met with representatives and authorities of the maritime world and various stakeholders in the fight against piracy.

Located at the entrance to the Gulf of Aden and near the coast of Somalia, Djibouti is an important, strategic port in the fight against piracy.  Its waters are a choke point for many merchant ships, and a regular harbor for warships sailing down the Red Sea and heading towards the Indian Ocean to fight against piracy.  Djibouti is in particular a major logistical fulcrum for Operation Atalanta.

The recent creation of a signals network and an operations centre facilitates the surveillance of territorial waters and the important port area. To support their maritime capacity building, EUNAVFOR Force Commander Rear Admiral Dupuis offered to strengthen exchanges, exercises and training with the Navy and Coast Guards.

These meetings are part of the overall comprehensive approach of the European Union, to assist countries in the region to develop their own capacities to combat piracy.