EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Karlsruhe was tasked yesterday to investigate an area where two merchant vessels had been attacked. An EU NAVFOR Maritime Patrol Aircraft working in support of this operation located the skiff and directed the helicopter of Karlsruhe to the location.

On arrival at the scene, EU NAVFOR warship Karlsruhe launched a boarding team and, on approaching the skiff, persons on board were seen to throw objects into the water. The skiff’s four man crew were questioned and claimed to be fishermen. No nets were found and any weapons they may have had had been disposed of. However,  some items that could be used in pirate attacks were still onboard and this pirate related paraphernalia was seized. After further questioning, the individuals were eventually released to return to the Somali coast.

FGS Karlsruhe and the maritime patrol aircraft take part in the EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA. The main tasks of Operation ATALANTA are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.

Rhib of EU NAVFOR ship KARLSRUHE stopped two pirate skiffs

In the afternoon of October 27th 2009, 350 nautical miles east of Mogadishu, Somalia a French Fishing Vessel was attacked by pirates in two attack skiffs. The pirates opened fire on the Fishing Vessel. Her embarked military Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) fired warning shots after which the pirates broke of their attack.

German EU NAVFOR warship KARLSRUHE (archives - www.marine.de)

The EU NAVFOR German warship FGS Karlsruhe, on anti-piracy patrol in the area, was ordered to set course to the attack position. Simultaneously, the helicopter of EU NAVFOR Spanish warship ESPS Canarias, also on anti-piracy patrol, was launched and relocated two fast attack skiffs trying to flee the area of the attack.

The helicopter fired warning shots to stop both skiffs, after which the pirates stopped and were seen throwing items, presumably pirate paraphernalia, overboard. On arrival of FGS Karlsruhe her boarding team secured both skiffs, and found seven persons on board of the two skiffs. The French Fishing vessel was requested to return to the scene to identify their attackers. Upon their statements the seven suspected pirates were detained on board FGS Karlsruhe.

FGS Karlsruhe and ESPS Canarias take part in the EU NAVFOR mission Operation ATALANTA. The main tasks of Operation ATALANTA are to escort merchant vessels carrying food of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), the protection of vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.

LtGen David Leaky and Cdr Pieter Bindt

On sunday 11 october the Ambassadors of the Political and Security Committee (PSC) of the European Union visited the European Union Naval Force under the Security and Defence Policy, the first Naval operation under ESDP.

The visit was hosted onboard the EU NAVFOR German warship KARLSRUHE in the port of Djibouti at the invitation of the EU NAVFOR Force Commander Commodore Pieter Bindt. In his Brief to the Brussels Delegation the Dutch Force Commander gave an overview of the operational tasks and the challenges they faced daily. He went on to explain the considerable achievements to date and how well the different nations’ ships were working together.

The Director General European Union Military Staff, General David Leaky, expressed his delight at the success of the visit. “It is really important to show the Ambassadors, what the EU NAVFOR has achieved so far. The brief from the Force Commander and the Commanding Officer of the frigate Karlsruhe gave them a lasting impression of the success of EU NAVFOR mission”

Skoog and his Ambassador collegues get certain informations in the EU NAVFOR MPA cockpit

The Head of Department and Representative for Sweden to the PSC, Olof Skoog stated, “the EU was able to position the EU NAVFOR Mission in the Centre of all anti-Piracy activities”.

The Delegation were particularly interested in the maritime assets that have been used so far in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali basin down to the Seychelles.  After visiting Karlsruhe they were given the opportunity to see the Maritme Patrol Aircraft in the Air Detachement. Ambassador Skoog was extremely impressed by the Cooperation between all units and their capabilities to deter and prevent piracy along the Somali coastline.

EU NAVFOR Force Commander Commodore Pieter Bindt was pleased with the meetings and stated: “As Force Commander I consider it an honour and great benefit to inform the political deciding and guiding Committee of Operation Atalanta in progress, developments and results after 10 months of EU NAVFOR operations”.

HMS NORTHUMBERLAND

The Op Atalanta warship NORTHUMBERLAND (UK) is this week escorting four different World Food Program (WFP) ships into three different Somali ports. Thus far two ships have arrived safely in Mogadishu and Bosaso with a further two expected in Berbera over this weekend.

Escorting WFP ships is a principle task for Op Atalanta and so far almost 40,000 tonnes of aid have been delivered into Somalia – enough to feed over 1.2 million people.

Soon to join Op Atalanta is the Spanish frigate SPS VICTORIA, arriving in the Gulf of Aden early next week. She is a Spanish warship of the USN OLIVER HAZARD PERRY (FFG-7) design and carries two Seahawk LAMPS III helicopters onboard.

The German frigate KARLSRUHE is being relieved by its sister ship RHEINLAND-PFALZ this weekend and a handover ceremony will take place in Djibouti to mark the occasion.

Commander (GE) Hans-Joachim Kuhfahl, commanding officer of the KARLSRUHE had this to say as their deployment draws to a close.

“It has been a great privilege to be part of Operation Atalanta. All the ship’s company have found the deployment very rewarding as they have clearly seen the value of what they are doing. Protecting the merchant fleet has had a real benefit to global trade and we have had a very positive response from all the merchant vessels we have worked with over the past few months”,

Finally, 7 vessels now remain held under pirate control along with approximately 120 crew members.

The KARLSRUHE’s helicopter was launched and fired warning shots to deter the attack which was abandoned. The pirates were then stopped and their arms and equipment were throw into the sea.

After the rescue a merchant seaman, who suffered a gun shot wound to the leg during the attack, was transferred to the KARLSRUHE for medical treatment and then flown ashore to hospital where his condition is described as stable.

This was the first engagement a EUNAVFOR vessel has been involved in since Operation Atalanta was launched 2 weeks ago, and demonstrates how good communication combined with prompt and robust action can thwart piracy attacks.

The KARLSRUHE, one of 8 Type 122 Class frigates, joined Operation Atalanta last Friday as part of Germany’s contribution to the EU NAVFOR mission deployed off the coast of Somalia.

The German Navy will contribute to the operation with the frigate FGS KARLSRUHE, already operating within theatre of operations for some time. Previously, the ship was deployed to the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) and will now change to the EU NAVFOR.

FGS KARLSRUHE (F 212) is one of eight Class 122-frigates, built in the eighties. Mainly designed for anti-submarine-warfare, she carries a wide mix of sensors and armament, including two helicopters SEA LYNX MK 88, for a multi-role capability. Displacing 3700 tons, she is 130 metres long and with a propulsion mix of Gas turbines and Diesel engines providing a capability for a top speed of about 30 knots.