European Union Naval Force Somalia - Operation Atalanta » PSARA

Reinforcement for European Union Naval Force

EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office — Sun, 03 May 2009 13:54:08 +0000

The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Atalanta, countering piracy around the Horn of Africa, on 2^nd of May has been reinforced by an incoming Greek ship, the frigate HS NIKIFOROS FOKAS.

After HS PSARA, the first flag ship of the operation, had left early April, Greece now is contributing with another unit. The HS NIKIFOROS FOKAS (F 466), named after a Greek hero from the 10^th century, is one of 10 originally Dutch KORTENAER-class frigates in service in the Greek Navy. The frigate has a displacement of 3500 tons, is equipped with several missile systems for anti-surface and anti-air warfare, torpedoes for anti-submarine warfare, several medium and light guns and also one organic helicopter, and has a crew of approximately 200. She will stay with the Task Force for several months.

The current composition of EU NAVFOR Atalanta is showing 11 ships plus 4 Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA). Force Commander is Captain Juan Garat Caramé.

- ESPS NUMANCIA ( Spanish frigate, flagship)

- HS NIKIFOROS FOKAS (Greek frigate)

- FGS RHEINLAND-PFALZ (German frigate)

- FGS EMDEN (German frigate)

- FGS MECKLENBURG-VORPOMMERN (German frigate)

- ITS MAESTRALE (Italian frigate)

- FS COMMANDANT DUCUING (French frigate)

- FS NIVOSE (French frigate)

- FS ALBATROS (French Patrol boat)

- ESPS MARQUES DE LA ENSENADA (Spanish tanker)

- FGS BERLIN (German supply ship)

- P3 ORION (Spanish MPRA)

- P3 ORION (German MPRA)

- BREGUET ATLANTIC (French MPRA)

- FALCON 50 (French small MPRA)

Next reinforcement will be 2 Swedish corvettes plus 1 supply unit in the middle of May.

PSARA catches Suspected Pirates

EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office — Wed, 01 Apr 2009 14:29:09 +0000

MSCHOA has received reports that a Norwegian owned and Danish operated chemical tanker successfully repelled an attack by pirates last night. The EU NAVFOR Greek Flagship, HS PSARA, positioned nearby, was on the scene soon after the incident and after conducting a brief surface search stopped and detained a skiff with 5 men onboard. The suspects were initially apprehended by the warship and their vessel searched, however, as no concrete evidence of pirate activity was discovered they were later released.

Op Atalanta Force Commander meets his Chinese Counterpart

EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 16:49:01 +0000

The Greek Frigate PSARA with the Chinese Destroyer WUHAN

In an very open gesture of mutual cooperation and understanding the European Union Force Commander Commodore Antonios Papaioannou from the Hellenic Navy was invited onboard the destroyer WUHAN to meet Rear Admiral DU JINGCHEN the commander of the Chinese anti-piracy operation off Somalia.

The meeting, which took place onboard the Chinese Flagship in the Gulf of Aden last Friday, is believed to be the first of its kind and was a clear indication of how willing the international community is to work together to combat piracy in the region.

Seven Pirates in Custody after attacking EU Vessel

EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office — Mon, 30 Mar 2009 10:42:24 +0000

The captured pirate skiff

Events in the Gulf of Aden took an unexpected turn this weekend when the German Naval Tanker FGS SPESSART, that is currently attached to EU NAVFOR from NATO, was attacked 85 miles north of Bosasso yesterday afternoon.

The attacking skiff fled after the warship returned small arms fire and then gave chase with helicopter support from the nearby Dutch NATO warship HNLMS DE ZEVEN PROVINCIEN, the EU NAVFOR Spanish frigate SPS VICTORIA, and the CTF 151 American flagship USS BOXER.

Once the skiff was stopped, the Greek Op Atalanta Flagship PSARA was soon at the scene and detained the vessel until the 7 suspected pirates were taken into German custody onboard the frigate FGS RHEINLAND-PFALZ early this morning.

A decision regarding the venue of their trial will be taken later today.

Pirate Attacks Increase in the Gulf of Aden

EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office — Thu, 12 Feb 2009 21:33:21 +0000

The improved weather conditions in the Gulf of Aden over the last 24 hours have resulted in a marked increase in pirate activity with four attempted hijackings of merchant vessels. Each attack was successfully repelled after intervention by EU NAVFOR and US coalition warships who coordinated their actions during one exchange to secure the safety of the vessel.

In two separate incidents the American warships detained a number of suspects who are being held awaiting prosecution. Initial reports indicate that quick thinking and decisive self protection action by the masters and crews played a significant part in preventing the pirates from boarding and capturing their ships.

Advice and guidance on the best action to take to avoid attack can be found in the restricted area of the www.mschoa.org site where ship owners and operators can enrol free of charge to access this information. Registering their ships’ movements will also enable EU NAVFOR to carry out a risk assessment on each vessel so appropriate protection measures can be deployed in those most vulnerable to attack.

On Sunday the Chinese fishing vessel TIANYU No. 8 was freed after almost three months under pirate control. After the release Chinese warships escorted the trawler and its 24 man multinational crew to safety. This brings the total number of hijacked vessels down to 6.

In other news, the UK Armed Forces Minister Bob Ainsworth visited to the Op Atalanta flagship, the Greek frigate PSARA, to receive an update on the operation. The minister met with the Force Commander, Commodore Papaioannou (GRN), and a number of officers and sailors from the Force Headquarters.

And Italy has announced that it will deploy a frigate to the task force from the beginning of April. The warship and its helicopter will be joining the EU NAVFOR for at least 3 months.

Operation Atalanta Gathers Pace

EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office — Thu, 15 Jan 2009 15:18:58 +0000

As the EU Operation gathers pace and following a recent awareness campaign among the merchant shipping community, a record number of owners and operators are now registering with the Op Atalanta Maritime Security Centre.

In an interview with BBC Radio 4 the Op Atalanta’s Commander Rear Admiral Jones made it clear of how aware he was of the owners and operators concerns about piracy and how keen he was to increase his understanding of their needs so he can maximize the effectiveness of the warships under his command.

He went onto praise the merchant shipping community saying:
“The way they are taking self protective measures in their own ships has been one of the most significant elements of countering piracy … many of the piracy attacks that have been deterred and thwarted in recent weeks have been the result of those merchant ships taking effective self protective measures, if a warship cannot get to them in time”.

Following the Greek frigate PSARA’s successful escorting of 2 World Food Program Vessels, the MVs MILTZOW and ROZEN, this week has also seen a fall in the number of successful attacks against merchant vessels and the release of 5 pirated ships and over 70 crew members.