Operation ATALANTA frigate ESPS Victoria conducts exercises with French Forces in Djibouti

“Conducting this kind of training is very important for us because it shows the cooperation and interoperability between Operation ATALANTA units and the French Forces in Djibouti."

Commander Pedro Márquez de la Calleja
ESPS Victoria Commanding Officer

Djibouti, 11 November 2019—Between the 5^th and the 8^th of November, in vicinity of Djibouti, Operation ATALANTA’s Spanish ship (ESPS) Victoria carried out different exercises with the French Forces in Djibouti (FFDJ). This training covered a variety of activities such as medical evacuation practices, boarding procedures and deck landing qualifications with a PUMA French helicopter. The Spanish frigate, its boarding team and its SH-60B helicopter all participated in the exercises.

This training was an outstanding opportunity to test and show the interoperability existing between Operation ATALANTA assets and the FFDJ.

“Conducting this kind of training is very important for us,” said ESPS Victoria Commanding Officer, Commander Pedro Márquez de la Calleja. “It shows the cooperation and interoperability between Operation ATALANTA units and the French Forces in Djibouti."

These activities are a clear example of the EU NAVFOR Somalia’s commitment to cooperate with the different actors in the region.