EU NAVFOR Somalia

Warship HNLMS Groningen Commences EUNAVFOR Support for UN Initiative to Improve Somali livelihoods Operation Atalanta Warship HNLMS GRONINGEN Welcomes Somali Minister Operation Atalanta hosted the Somali Minister of Fisheries and Marine Resources on board the Dutch warship, HNLMS Groningen.
14/11/2015
Operation Atalanta Warships Meet at Sea in the Gulf of Aden On Friday 23 October 2015 the five warships that are currently deployed with Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia met at sea in the Gulf of Aden.
26/10/2015
Spain Hands Over Force Command of Operation Atalanta to Italy Earlier today, Thursday 08 October, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gòmez Fernandez de Cordoba, (Spanish Navy), handed over the Force Command of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia - Operation Atalanta, to Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri (Italian Navy) at sea in the Gulf of Aden.
08/10/2015

Major General Martin Smith

The European Union is concerned with the effect of Somali-based piracy and armed robbery at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean. Somali piracy is characterised by criminals taking control of vessels transiting the High Risk Areas in the Region and extorting ransom money for the crew, the vessel and cargo; this bearing all features of organised crime. Crews held hostage by pirates often face a prolonged period of captivity, the average being 5 months (145 days) but some hostages have been held for more than two years and eight months (1001 days). Moreover, piracy impacts on international trade and maritime security and on the economic activities and security of countries in the region.