Operation Atalanta’s Spanish Warship, ESPS Santa Maria, has completed a Replenishment At Sea (RAS) with the American tanker, USNS Laramie, whilst conducting counter-piracy work in the waters off Somalia.
Pit-stops on the move are important to ensure Operation Atalanta’s counter-piracy warships are able to maximise the time spent at sea deterring and disrupting would-be pirates to keep the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden safe.
ESPS Santa Maria has had a busy deployment for Op Atalanta, covering many miles of patrols off the Somali coast to ensure seafarers are kept safe. She has also been able to use her embarked UAV and helicopter to provide a different perspective on the operational area and to look out for suspected pirate activity.