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Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is a current counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval
operation Operation or Operations may refer to: Arts, entertainment and media * ''Operation'' (game), a battery-operated board game that challenges dexterity * Operation (music), a term used in musical set theory * ''Operations'' (magazine), Multi-Ma ...
conducted by the
European Union The European Union (EU) is a supranational political and economic union of member states that are located primarily in Europe. The union has a total area of and an estimated total population of about 447million. The EU has often been de ...
(EU). The operational headquarters is currently located at the Spanish Operation Headquarters (ESOHQ) at
Naval Station Rota Naval Station Rota, also known as NAVSTA Rota ( es, Base Naval de Rota, links=no), is a Spanish-American naval base commanded by a Spanish Rear Admiral. Located in Rota in the Province of Cádiz, NAVSTA Rota is the largest American military c ...
(NAVSTA Rota) in Spain, having moved from London as a result of the British withdrawal from the EU. It is part of a larger global action by the EU to prevent and combat acts of
piracy in the Indian Ocean Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
, and it is the first EU naval operation to be launched. It cooperates with the multinational
Combined Task Force 151 Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is a multinational naval task force, set up in 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia. Its mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to enga ...
of the US-led
Combined Maritime Forces United States Naval Forces Central Command (NAVCENT) is the United States Navy element of United States Central Command (USCENTCOM). Its area of responsibility includes the Red Sea, Gulf of Oman, Persian Gulf, and Arabian Sea. It consists of the ...
(CMF) and NATO's anti-piracy
Operation Ocean Shield Operation Ocean Shield was NATO's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA), an anti-piracy initiative in the Indian Ocean, Guardafui Channel, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. It follows the earlier Operation Al ...
. The mission was launched in December 2008 with a focus on protecting
Somalia Somalia, , Osmanya script: 𐒈𐒝𐒑𐒛𐒐𐒘𐒕𐒖; ar, الصومال, aṣ-Ṣūmāl officially the Federal Republic of SomaliaThe ''Federal Republic of Somalia'' is the country's name per Article 1 of thProvisional Constituti ...
-bound vessels and shipments belonging to the
WFP The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
and AMISOM, as well as select other vulnerable shipments. In addition, Operation Atalanta monitors fishing activity on the regional seaboard. In 2012, the scope of the mission expanded to include Somali coastal territories and internal waters so as to co-ordinate counter-piracy operations with Somalia's
Transitional Federal Government The Transitional Federal Government (TFG) ( so, Dowladda Federaalka Kumeelgaarka, ar, الحكومة الاتحادية الانتقالية) was internationally recognized as a provisional government of the Republic of Somalia from 14 October ...
(TFG) and regional administrations. On 16 July 2012, the EU also mandated the EUCAP Nestor mission to build up the maritime capacity of regional navies. In July 2018, the
Council of the European Union The Council of the European Union, often referred to in the treaties and other official documents simply as the Council, and informally known as the Council of Ministers, is the third of the seven Institutions of the European Union (EU) as ...
extended the Mandate of Operation ATALANTA until December 2020. January the 1st, the Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/2188 of 22 December 2020 that extended again the mandate of the EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA for another two years was implemented.


Overview

Under EU Council Joint Action 851, which is based on various UN resolutions, Operation ATALANTA: * Protects vessels of the
World Food Programme The World Food Programme; it, Programma alimentare mondiale; es, Programa Mundial de Alimentos; ar, برنامج الأغذية العالمي, translit=barnamaj al'aghdhiat alealami; russian: Всемирная продовольствен ...
(WFP),
African Union Mission in Somalia The African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) was a regional peacekeeping mission operated by the African Union with the approval of the United Nations Security Council. It was mandated to support transitional governmental structures, implem ...
(AMISOM) and other vulnerable shipping; * Deters and disrupts
piracy Piracy is an act of robbery or criminal violence by ship or boat-borne attackers upon another ship or a coastal area, typically with the goal of stealing cargo and other valuable goods. Those who conduct acts of piracy are called pirates, v ...
and armed robbery at sea; * Monitors fishing activities off the coast of Somalia; * Supports other EU missions and international organisations working to strengthen maritime security and capacity in the region. The Operation's mission evolved over its first ten years. On 8 December 2009, monitoring of fishing activity was formally added to the mandate. Although it took time for the data to lead to direct legal consequences, DG MARE has subsequently used the information EU NAVFOR provides to build sanctions cases against foreign governments. On 17 December 2018 the EU Council granted permission for EU NAVFOR to share data on forms of maritime crime other than piracy with INTERPOL and EUROPOL. Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/2188 extended the mandate of the EU NAVFOR Somalia Op. ATALANTA for another two years until the end of 2022. With this latest mandate extension, besides operation's core tasks, there were included some non-executive secondary tasks: * Support other EU missions and instruments in Somalia upon request. * Contribute to the monitoring of fishing activity off the coast of Somalia. * Contribute to the monitoring of narcotics drugs trafficking, weapons trafficking, illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing and charcoal illicit trade off the coast of Somalia. * Contribute to the EU integrated approach to Somalia and the relevant activities of the international community. * Support the promotion of the overall regional maritime security architecture, the relevant programmes implemented by the commission and to reinforce the already developed links with the Regional Maritime Information Fusion Cnetre (RMIFC) in Madagascar and the Regional Operational Coordination Centre. Finally, the new mandate includes the possibility to activate as an executive secondary task, the contribution to the disruption of drug and weapons trafficking inside EU NAVFOR Somalia area of operations. Located in
Brest Brest may refer to: Places *Brest, Belarus **Brest Region **Brest Airport **Brest Fortress * Brest, Kyustendil Province, Bulgaria * Břest, Czech Republic *Brest, France ** Arrondissement of Brest **Brest Bretagne Airport ** Château de Brest *Br ...
(FR) and depending on the Headquarters of Operation ATALANTA, is the Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa (MSCHOA), an initiative established by the European Union Naval Force, with close co-operation from industry. The MSCHOA centre provides 24-hour manned monitoring of vessels transiting through the Gulf of Aden, whilst the provision of an interactive website enables the centre to communicate the latest anti-piracy guidance to industry and for Shipping Companies and operators to register their movements through the region. Participation in EU NAVFOR goes beyond EU member states. Norway was the first non-EU country to contribute to the Operation, with a warship in 2009. Thereafter Croatia (pre-Accession), Montenegro, Serbia, Ukraine and the Republic of Korea have provided staff officers either to the Operational Headquarters (OHQ) or to the Force Headquarters (FHQ). Ukraine contributed a warship early in 2014, and New Zealand contributed an MPRA asset (a
Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. It is the world's most populous country, with a population exceeding 1.4 billion, slightly ahead of India. China spans the equivalent of five time zones and ...
, who wanted the sovereignty infringement limited to Somalia.


Highlights

Operation Atalanta formally commenced on 8 December 2008 in accordance with the mandate laid down in UNSC Resolution 1814. On 1 January 2009, eight Somali suspects were captured by the French frigate ''Premier-Maître L'Her'' as they attempted to seize a Panamanian-registered cargo ship (MV S Venus) some 50 nautical miles south of Yemen. On 14 April 2009, the French frigate ''Nivôse'', attached to Operation Atalanta, captured 11 suspected pirates, together with their
mother ship A mother ship, mothership or mother-ship is a large vehicle that leads, serves, or carries other smaller vehicles. A mother ship may be a maritime ship, aircraft, or spacecraft. Examples include bombers converted to carry experimental airc ...
and two skiffs, in an EU NAVFOR focused operation carried out in the Indian Ocean. The French ship responded to the distress message by the 21,000 tonne Liberia flagged MV ''Safmarine Asia'' which came under small arms and RPG attack from two skiffs operating from a pirate mother ship. The warship deployed its helicopter, which quickly arrived on the scene, to deter the hijacking and shadow the mother vessel until the frigate arrived. On 26 May 2009, the EU Naval Task Force vessel HSwMS ''Malmö'' responded to a distress call from the European cargo vessel and apprehended seven suspected pirates. From 5 to 7 March 2010, forces from France, Italy, Luxembourg, Spain and Sweden were in action; the French frigate ''Nivôse'' (F 732) secured its "biggest seizure" to-date in a vital shipping lane off the coast of Somalia, with 35 pirates arrested and four mother ships seized in three days. In May 2010, there were a number of incidents in the area. The Russian destroyer ''Marshal Shaposhnikov'' freed the 106,474-ton MV Moscow University, which was about 350 miles east of
Socotra Socotra or Soqotra (; ar, سُقُطْرَىٰ ; so, Suqadara) is an island of the Republic of Yemen in the Indian Ocean, under the ''de facto'' control of the UAE-backed Southern Transitional Council, a secessionist participant in Yemen’ ...
, transporting crude oil from Sudan to China. Two days later, however, Russia's Defense Ministry said it had proved impossible to establish the pirates' citizenship or to establish legal grounds for prosecuting, therefore the pirates were returned to their boat and set free. In another incident, a Swedish aircraft attached to the EU Naval Force, the French warship ''La Fayette'' and the Dutch warship collaborated in the spotting and capturing of a pirate action group composed of a whaler and two skiffs, about 400 miles northwest of the
Seychelles Islands Seychelles (, ; ), officially the Republic of Seychelles (french: link=no, République des Seychelles; Creole: ''La Repiblik Sesel''), is an archipelagic state consisting of 115 islands in the Indian Ocean. Its capital and largest city, ...
. Reports on these incidents, citing other news reports, concluded that pirates were holding almost 20 vessels and about 300 crew members.Alan Cowell, Mark McDonald (6 May 2010)
"Russian Destroyer Frees Hijacked Oil Tanker"
''The New York Times''. Retrieved 6 May 2010. An EU-NAVFO
press release
on the Russian action was cited in the article.
In September 2011,
Marines Marines, or naval infantry, are typically a military force trained to operate in littoral zones in support of naval operations. Historically, tasks undertaken by marines have included helping maintain discipline and order aboard the ship (refle ...
from the Spanish landing platform dock ''Galicia'' rescued the French citizen Evelyn Colombo. She had been kidnapped from the French yacht ''Tribal Kat'', and her husband Christian killed while trying to protect her. In November 2012, Marines from the Spanish corvette ''Infanta Cristina'' liberated 21 Pakistani sailors from the trawler ''Al Talal'', who had been kidnapped, detaining 9 pirates. On 15 May 2012, EU naval forces conducted their first raid on pirate bases on the Somalia mainland as part of the operation, saying they 'destroyed several boats'. The forces were transported by helicopter to the pirate bases near the port of
Harardhere Harardhere (, so, Xarardheere) is a historic town in the Mudug province of Somalia. It is situated in the autonomous Galmudug state and serves as the capital of the Harardhere District. History For most of its history, Harardhere was a histor ...
. The attack was carried out overnight, and, according to the European forces, no local residents were hurt during the mission. On 24 October 2014, the first non-European Third State asset integrated into EU NAVFOR, when New Zealand provided a P-3 Orion of 5 Squadron RNZAF. On 27 October 2016, following an appeal from the President of Puntland direct to the Operational Headquarters, EU NAVFOR warship ''Relámpago'' diverted to the Puntland coast in the first EU NAVFOR show of force against violent extremist organisations when the coastal town of Qandala was overrun by ISIS sympathisers. In November 2017, a six crew member motor whaler acting as mother ship, and a skiff attacked a 52,000 tonne container ship and a fishing vessel in the Southern Somali Basin. The suspected pirates were apprehended by the Italian Marines from ITS Virginio Fasan after their vessels were located using Fasan's SH-90 helicopter, following initial searches by the Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft Cisne. On 27 Oct 2018, EU NAVFOR destroyed a whaler that took part on a boarding attempt to the MV KSL SYDNEY on 16 Oct 18 to prevent it being used for pirate acts. In April 2019, several piracy incidents took place involving different shipping vessels and a Yemeni dhow where captured off the coast of Somalia. On 21 April, EU NAVFOR dispatched its Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPRAs) and conducted a search in the area, resulting in identifying the mothership dhow. On 23 April, in collaboration with its MPRAs, EU NAVFOR's flagship ESPS NAVARRA successfully intercepted and boarded the captured dhow vessel. EU NAVFOR apprehended five suspected pirates, and the 23 hostages aboard the hijacked FV Al Azham were released unharmed. This is the latest piracy incident reported by EU NAVFOR Somalia Op. ATALANTA.


Deployed units


Vessels

The following vessels are part of EU NAVFOR's current fleet in Operation Atalanta as of 15 February 2022. Operation Atalanta has the task force designator Task Force 465. Refer t
EUNAVFOR.EU website
for current list of deployed units.


Aircraft

As of May 2021 the following aircraft are currently deployed with the European Union Naval Force – Operation Atalanta.


Vessels and aircraft in former rotation periods

The following vessels have, among others, been committed to the Operation . * ''Louise-Marie'' (F931), Belgium * ''Leopold I'' (F930), Belgium * ''Brandenburg'' (F215), (Germany) * ''Mecklenburg-Vorpommern'' (F218), Germany * ''Schleswig-Holstein'' (F216), (Germany) * ''Bayern'' (F217), Germany * ''Rheinland-Pfalz'' (F209), (Germany) * ''Köln'' (F211), (Germany) * ''Niedersachsen'' (F208), (Germany) * ''Lübeck'' (F214), (Germany) * ''Hamburg'' (F220) * ''Rhön'' (A1443), (Germany) * ''Spessart'' (A1442), (Germany) * ''Berlin'' (A1411), Germany * , Netherlands * , Netherlands * , Netherlands * , Netherlands * , Netherlands * , Netherlands * Replenishment oiler , Netherlands * Replenishment oiler , Netherlands * ''Rotterdam'' class amphibious transport dock , Netherlands * , Netherlands * ''Bergamini''-class frigate ''Carabiniere'' (F 593), Italy * ''Bergamini''-class frigate ''Carlo Margottini'' (F 592) * ''Maestrale'' (F 570), Italy * ''Grecale'' (F 571), Italy * ''Libeccio'' (F 572), Italy * ''Scirocco'' (F 573), Italy * ''Euro'' (F 575), Italy * ''Espero'' (F 576), Italy * ''Zeffiro'' (F 577), Italy * ''Comandante Borsini'' (P 491), Italy * ''Comandante Bettica'' (P 492), Italy * ''San Giorgio'' (L 9892), Italy * ''San Giusto'' (L 9894), Italy * ''Andrea Doria'' (D 553), Italy * AGF/AOR ''Etna'' (A 5326), Italy * helicopter cruiser ''Jeanne d'Arc'' (R97), France * ''Tonnerre'' (L9014), France * ''Jean de Vienne'' (D643), France * ''Georges Leygues'' (D640), FranceJournaux de bord – Marine nationale
/ref> * ''Aconit'' (F713), France * ''Guépratte'' (F714), France * ''La Fayette'' (F710), France * ''Surcouf'' (F711), France * ''De Grasse'' (D612) * ''Floréal'' (F730), France * ''Nivôse'' (F732), France * ''Jean Bart'' (D615), France * ''Enseigne de vaisseau Jacoubet'' (F794), France * ''Marne'' (A630), France * ''Siroco'' (L9012), France *
Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner. * NRP ''Álvares Cabral'' (F331) *
Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner., Spain * ''Victoria'' (F82), Spain * ''Numancia'' (F83), Spain * ''Navarra'' (F85), Spain * ''Canarias'' (F86), Spain * ''Reina Sofía'' (F84), Spain * ''Blas de Lezo'' (F103), Spain * ''Mendez Nuñez'' (F104), Spain * ''Infanta Elena'' (P76), Spain * ''Infanta Cristina'' (P77), Spain * ''Cazadora'' (P78), Spain * ''Vencedora'' (P79), Spain * ''Galicia'' (L51), Spain * ''Castilla'' (L52), Spain * Replenishment oiler , Spain * ''Meteoro''-class offshore patrol boat ''Meteoro'' (P41) * ''Meteoro''-class offshore patrol boat ''Relámpago'' (P43), Spain * ''Meteoro''-class offshore patrol boat ''Tornado'' (P44), Spain *
Lockheed P-3 Orion The Lockheed P-3 Orion is a four-engined, turboprop anti-submarine and maritime surveillance aircraft developed for the United States Navy and introduced in the 1960s. Lockheed based it on the L-188 Electra commercial airliner.
, United Kingdom *
Type 23 frigate The Type 23 frigate or Duke class is a class of frigates built for the United Kingdom's Royal Navy. The ships are named after British Dukes, thus leading to the class being commonly known as the Duke class. The first Type 23, , was commission ...
, United Kingdom * RFA ''Lyme Bay'' (L3007), United Kingdom * HS ''Salamis'' (F455) Greece * HS ''Psara'' (F454) Greece * HS ''Elli'' (F450), Greece * HS ''Adrias'' (F459), Greece * HSwMS ''Stockholm'' (K11), Sweden * HSwMS ''Malmö'' (K12), Sweden * ''Akademik Shuleykin''-class auxiliary vessel HSwMS ''Trossö'' (A264), Sweden * Off-shore Patrol Vessel HMS ''Carlskrona'' (P04), Sweden * HNoMS ''Fridtjof Nansen'' (F310),
Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and t ...
– (Non EU member contribution) * ''Pohjanmaa'' class minelayer FNS ''Pohjanmaa'', Finland * ''Regele Ferdinand'' (221), Romania * ''Hetman Sahaydachniy'' (U130), Ukraine * Offshore patrol vessel ARC ''7 de Agosto'' (PZE-47) – (non-EU member collaboration), Colombia


See also

*
List of military and civilian missions of the European Union The European Union (EU) has undertaken a number of overseas missions and operations, drawing on civilian and military capabilities, in several countries across three continents (Europe, Africa and Asia), as part of its Common Security and Defe ...
*
Maritime Security Patrol Area The Maritime Security Patrol Area (MSPA) is a specified patrol zone in the Gulf of Aden and Guardafui Channel. Its borders are unmarked, but are a narrow, rectangular corridor between Somalia and Yemen, within the northern sector of the gulf. The ...
*
Combined Task Force 151 Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151) is a multinational naval task force, set up in 2009 as a response to piracy attacks in the Gulf of Aden and off the eastern coast of Somalia. Its mission is to disrupt piracy and armed robbery at sea and to enga ...
*
Operation Ocean Shield Operation Ocean Shield was NATO's contribution to Operation Enduring Freedom – Horn of Africa (OEF-HOA), an anti-piracy initiative in the Indian Ocean, Guardafui Channel, Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea. It follows the earlier Operation Al ...
*
Piracy in Somalia Piracy off the coast of Somalia occurs in the Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel and Somali Sea, in Somali territorial waters and other surrounding areas and has a long and troubled history with different perspectives from different communities. ...
* List of ships attacked by Somali pirates


References


External links


European Union Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta

Maritime Security Centre – Horn of Africa

European Union External Action Service

European Union Naval Force Twitter Page
* Sebastian Bruns
ATALANTA at three – a success or a failure? Strategic Insights by Risk Intelligence No. 36, 2008, S. 8–12
{{DEFAULTSORT:Atalanta, Operation