Greek warship HS ADRIAS

On 15 December, the EUNAVFOR Greek warship HS ADRIAS completed operating under EUNAVFOR, after more than three months working in Operation ATALANTA.

During her time in the Operation, HS ADRIAS escorted one vessel chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), assisting the delivery of 2,397 metric tons of food to Somalia. She also escorted five logistic vessels chartered by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

In addition, on the 18th, the 19th and on the 25th November, HS ADRIAS disrupted three Pirate action groups, with a total of 24 suspected pirates onboard, hampering pirate actions and avoiding highly probable attacks on vulnerable vessels.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EUNAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia

Over the past two years, the EUNAVFOR’s primary mission has been to protect United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) vessels against pirate attack by providing close escort to the ships carrying much needed humanitarian aid to Somalia.  Since the start of the operation, 98 WFP vessels have been escorted of which 90 have been protected by EUNAVFOR units alone.   The African Union Mission in Somalia’s (AMISOM) logistic vessels also come under the protective arm of the EUNAVFOR with 77 successful escorts being achieved to date.

The Operational Commander, Major General Buster Howes OBE, was particularly pleased with this aspect of the operation.  He said, “Having been tasked to protect WFP vessels, I am proud to say that, since we arrived, not a single WFP ship has been successfully pirated and that we are now providing escorts to an organisation that is providing humanitarian aid to 1.8 Million people per day and that has so far delivered nearly 470,000 tons of much needed food to the Somali people.”

The Naval Force is also tasked to protect other vulnerable shipping and to help deter, prevent and repress pirate attacks.  This last task is considerable and is the one which, with an area of over three Million square kilometres equating to the size of Western Europe to patrol, is proving to be the most challenging.  Despite the best efforts of the EUNAVFOR, there are still currently 22 pirated vessels and 532 hostages in the hands of pirates off the coast of Somalia.  Major General Howes is realistic about this part of his mission.

“There is no getting away from the fact that strategically, a naval presence is not deterring the pirates.  The business model that they have adopted is too productive and the rewards simply too huge for them to be deterred from their activities.  The solution has always and will always lie ashore.  We will continue to ‘hold the line’ at sea whilst the international community, led by the EU, adopts a more comprehensive approach ashore’ he added.

In the Gulf of Aden, the establishment and regular policing of the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) by EUNAVFOR ships and aircraft has had a significant effect on the number of successful attacks with a 54% reduction in the number of piratings between 2009 and 2010.

In the Somali Basin, the EUNAVFOR has also had considerable success in disrupting pirate attacks with some 75 Pirate Action Groups apprehended since the start of the operation.  As a result of its close cooperation with regional governments such as Kenya and The Republic of the Seychelles, 92 suspected pirates captured by the EUNAVFOR have entered a legal system, with 43 being convicted to date.

The continuing close relationship with industry and the application of the much-publicised Best Management Practices (BMP) are particularly worthy of note with instances of merchant vessels defeating pirate attacks by using BMPs become increasingly common.  Latest figures suggest that since 19 November 2010, 15 merchant ships have successfully defended themselves against attacks using the advice provided by the merchant industry and EUNAVFOR.  The message from the EUNAVFOR is clear; the merchant community should consider themselves to be on the front line of defence and must implement BMP.

As Operation ATALANTA goes on into 2012, the comprehensive approach adopted and pursued by the EU also continues to gain pace with the EU Sponsored Training Mission in Uganda leading the way.  The requirement for EUNAVFOR is expected to remain for some time but in the meantime the Operation’s Commander remains cautiously optimistic that he can continue to have an effect.

“The EUNAVFOR, through Operation ATALANTA, is justifiably proud of its accomplishments over the past 2 years and we welcome the decision to extend the timescale to December 2012.  But there will always be more that the International Community and the Regional Countries can do if the threat from piracy is to be effectively contained.  In the meantime, we will continue to ‘hold the line’ for as long as we are required to do so.”

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FS DE GRASSE

On 14 December 2010, EUNAVFOR Flagship FS DE GRASSE fulfilled her last day of operations after 4 months conducting counter-piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin.  

FS DE GRASSE, with its 300 crewmembers, was the platform for EUNAVFOR Force Headquarters from 14 August to 14 December 2010.

Among the various tasks that the FS DE GRASSE fulfilled whilst deployed was the escort of five vessels chartered by either the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) or the World Food Program (WFP).

It is EUNAVFOR’s priority mission to escort WFP merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid, along with vessels of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM).

A considerable part of the Somali population is living in poverty and millions of people are dependent on the help offered by the international community. It is therefore of particular importance that these food transports arrive at their destination safely, without being targeted by pirates.

AMISOM-chartered vessels are escorted by EUNAVFOR warships to support the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia. The European Union Member States support the AMISOM in order to improve, in particular, the efficiency of the Somali Police Force and to combat any abuse and serious violations of Human Rights.

In addition, FS DE GRASSE disrupted a total of seven Pirate Action Groups (PAG), comprising of 48 suspected pirates. These disruptions hampered pirate action and avoided highly probable attacks on vulnerable vessels.

On 26 September, the warship also provided assistance to a drifting whaler off the Somali coasts, thereby helping four seafarers to reach the shore safely.

EUNAVFOR thanks the warship and her crew for the good work conducted during her time in Operation ATALANTA.

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MV UNITED STAR

On 10 December 2010, the MV UNITED STAR reported it was under attack, approximately 500 nautical miles North East of Salalah (Oman).

“Officers on watch identified and targeted a suspicious vessel”, explained the ship’s owner. “At a distance of 3 nautical miles from the port bow a skiff was deployed from the suspicious vessel.”

The master of the crude oil tanker immediately initiated evasive manoeuvres.

“The skiff with four armed pirates carrying unidentified fire arms managed to come alongside and attempted to board the vessel with the use of portable ladders with hooks. The attempt was unsuccessful due to the evasive manoeuvres that the Master exercised”.

This vessel is a further witness to the success of the scrupulous implementation of BMPs. These procedures have been compiled with the combined effort of 13 Industry Organisations, EUNAVFOR, the NATO Shipping Centre and the United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO).

SPS PATINO

On 8 December 2010, EUNAVFOR’s capacity has been reinforced with the arrival of the Spanish ship SPS PATINO in the area of operations.

SPS PATINO is a Combat Replenishment Ship that has entered service with the Spanish Navy in 1995. She has a displacement of 7,780 tons, is 170 meters long, and has a crew of 148.

SPS PATINO will be the platform for EUNAVFOR next Force Headquarters: Rear-Admiral Juan Rodriguez and his staff will assume the command of the task force from 14 December 2010.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EUNAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

SPS INFANTA CRISTINA

On 8 December, the EUNAVFOR Spanish warship SPS INFANTA CRISTINA completed operating under EUNAVFOR, after four months working on Operation ATALANTA.

During her time in the Operation, SPS INFANTA CRISTINA escorted three vessels chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), assisting the delivery of 9,558 metric tons of food to Somalia. She also escorted two logistic vessels chartered by the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), thereby supporting the Transitional Federal Government of Somalia.

In addition, on 13 November, SPS INFANTA CRISTINA disrupted a whaler with four suspected pirates onboard, hampering a pirate action and avoiding a highly probable attack on a vulnerable vessel.

Finally, on 6 December, she provided assistance to Yemeni fishermen whose dhow was drifting in the Gulf of Aden.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EUNAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

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MV Al Nisr Al Saudi

On 7 December 2010, the Saudi Arabian flagged Product tanker MV AL NISR AL SAUDI was released from under pirate control.

EUNAVFOR German ship FGS Hamburg escorting the WFP chartered MV FADHIL RABI in the vicinity of Berbera

The MV FATHIL RABI, chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), was safely escorted by the two EUNAVFOR warships HS ADRIAS and FGS HAMBURG over the last 2 weeks, helping in the delivery of 2,397 metric tons of food to Somalia.

The Greek ship HS ADRIAS first escorted the vessel from Mombasa (Kenya) to Berbera (Somalia), with the German ship FGS HAMBURG escorting it from Berbera to Bossasso (Somalia). 

The Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD), operating from the FGS HAMBURG, was embarked onboard the MV FATHIL RABI during the return transit.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of  African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. In addition, EUNAVFOR monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

EUNAVFOR SPS INFANTA CRISTINA gives assistance to fishermen at sea

On 2 December, the EUNAVFOR Spanish ship SPS INFANTA CRISTINA located a drifting dhow towing a small skiff in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden.

The SPS INFANTA CRISTINA decided to send her boarding team to further investigate the situation. No piracy paraphernalia was found onboard and the crew of the Yemeni-flagged dhow explained to the boarding team that they had some mechanical problems.

Sailors from the SPS INFANTA CRISTINA eventually solved the problem with some oil and tools from the ship.

Before leaving, the EUNAVFOR sailors also provided the Yemeni dhow with enough food and water for their transit back to Yemen.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of  African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM). EUNAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. In addition, EUNAVFOR monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

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