On Tuesday 14 January 2014, the commanding officer of Spanish warship, ESPS Tornado, Lieutenant Commander Juan Belizon, welcomed on board Captain Choi Sung-Mok, the commanding Officer of the Republic of Korea Ship (ROKS) Choi Young. The Republic of Korea warship is currently part of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), combating piracy off the Horn of Arica. The visit took place during a short logistics stop in Salalah.
During his visit, Captain Choi Sung-Mok was given a tour of the Spanish warship and Lieutenant Commander Belizon explained the ship’s main characteristics. Captain Choi was very interested in the ‘Reduced Crew’ concept lead by the Meteoro class ships.
During their meeting, both commanding officers exchanged opinions about the development of piracy in the area and the importance of working together to ensure that the high piracy levels, seen between 2009-2011, do not return once again.
Speaking about the meeting Lieutenant Commander Belizon said “I am delighted to meet Capt. Choi Sung-Mok. There is no doubt that when we work together, we are stronger, making it more difficult for pirates to attack ships. This operation gives us an unique opportunity to meet different navies from around the world, and a better understanding of their procedures.”
ESPS Tornado has been operating as part of the EU Naval Force since December 2013.