February 2021

"The continuous effort of Operation ATALANTA and the work done by the naval and air assets assigned to the FHQ have strongly contributed to the suppression of the dangerous phenomenon of piracy in the West Indian Ocean, which is nevertheless not yet eradicated.

All means deployed in Operation ATALANTA bring added value for the execution of the mission depending on their characteristics. However, due to their versatility and flexibility, aerial assets are those who provide unique operational capabilities which cannot be achieved by other means.

Galicia-class landing platform dock 🇪🇸ESPS Castilla , equipped with a AB212plus 🚁 and a RPAS ScanEagle, joined Operation Atalanta this week. Over the next 4 months, she will be the EU NAVFOR flagship, hosting the Force Headquarters of the operation.

Vice Admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río Jáudenes relieves Major General Antonio Planells Palau as Operation Commander, EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA Rota, February 19th, 2021 — during the change of command ceremony, Major General (Spanish Marine Corps) Antonio Planells Palau, Operation Command

Any asset integrating Operation ATALANTA has to meet a set of readiness standards to execute its inherent tasks, thus contributing to achieve the mission’s goals.

On the 2nd of February, EU NAVFOR ATALANTA Interagency and Shipping Advisor Lt CDR Diego CÁNOVAS-CÁNOVAS attended a panel discussion organized by SAFETY4SEA on the wake of the latest IMB Annual report pointing at the Gulf of Guinea as the hot spot for piracy incidents with 135 crew having been kidna

The Italian aircraft carrier CAVOUR stops in Rota on her maiden voyage to the United States