July 2011

On July 28th, after sixty days proudly serving under the European Flag, the French Frigate FS COURBET completed her participation as an EU NAVFOR warship in Operation ATALANTA.

It has been reported by the owners that the MV JUBBA XX, a small tanker reported  pirated on 16 July, was released on 27 July off the coast of Somalia following intervention by Puntland officials and tribal elders and all the crew are safe.  

 On 22 July 2011, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, Italian Navy, handed over the responsibility of the Deputy Operation Commander of the European Union Naval Force Somalia, Op ATALANTA, to Rear Admiral Christian Canova, French Navy.

On the 19th of July, EU NAVFOR French Frigate Courbet completed another safe and successful escort of a World Food Programme (WFP) vessel from Kenya to Somalia, enabling much needed food-aid to reach the country where a famine has been declared.

To record the work of Operation ATALANTA and to increase the library of related photographs, all the officers, sailors and marines involved in the protection of World Food Programme and other vulnerable ships in the Indian Ocean were invited to take part in a photographic competition in which the ph

 Late on the morning of 16 July, it was reported by the owners that the MV JUBBA XX, a laden tanker, had been pirated in the northern Indian Ocean, on her regular route from the United Arab Emirates to the port of Berbera, Somalia.

On the 7th of July, the Spanish Minister of Defence, Carme Chacon, accompanied by the Chief of Defense, General José Julio Rodriguez, visited the Spanish frigate ESPS Santa María during her port visit in Djibouti.

On the 4th of July, EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Commodore Alberto Correia met Rear Admiral Gualtiero Mattesi, Commander of the NATO Counter-piracy Taskforce onboard the Italian destroyer ITS Andrea Doria, whilst patrolling the International Recommended Traffic Corridor in the Gulf of Aden.

The Chinese PLA(Navy) warship MA’ANSHAN (FFG525) has today completed the first port-to-port escort of a World Food Programme (WFP) cargo ship into Somalia through the Gulf of Aden.

Members of the House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee visited the EU NAVFOR HQ at Northwood on 30 Jun as part of their inquiry into piracy off the coast of Somalia.