On completion of what have been successful counter piracy deployments for both French Navy ships, the Force Commander, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma wanted to conduct brief farewell visits to personally acknowledge their excellent contribution.

During the visit by the Force Commander to FS Tonnerre, the Commanding Officer, Captain Jean-François Quérat said “During this joint European operation, the amphibious Jeanne d’Arc group composed of LHD Tonnerre and FFH Georges Leygues, controlled and identified nearly 1,000 ships within the operations area.” He continued by specifying that  “Given that we didn’t arrest any presumed pirates during our patrols, I see this as a good indication of the effectiveness of the Atalanta mission. By the presence and the cooperation of each unit in the EU Naval Force, deterrence has been extremely efficient.  Maritime security in the area has been enhanced, not just by Atalanta, but also through EUCAP Nestor, which is one of the European Union missions to help promote stability and security around the Horn of Africa.”

FS Georges Leygues’ Commanding Officer, Commander Romuald Bomont commented on his deployment by saying “Operation Atalanta will remain an outstanding memory for all my crew, who have worked extremely hard.  Success begins with team work, and the fact that the Force Commander was present on board in the last days of the deployment is a real mark of respect for my crew’s efforts and highlights the cohesiveness that the Force Commander achieved within “team CTF 465″

The Admiral’s warning comes days after EU Naval Force warship ESPS Rayo located a skiff with six men on board 320 nautical miles off the Somali coast.  It is highly unusual to see these small, open top boats so far out to sea, so a team from Rayo went across to investigate.

The 6 men could not explain why they had sailed so far from land, there was no evidence of trade or legal activity and Rayo’s crew found equipment on board that is commonly related to piracy.

Whilst there was not enough evidence on this occasion that could have guaranteed a legal prosecution, the decision was taken to return the men to the Somali coast so that they could not pose any potential risk to passing ships.

Speaking about the incident EU Naval Force Spokesperson, Lieutenant Commander Jacqueline Sherriff said “Whilst not possible this time, when suspect pirates are apprehended by the EU Naval Force, every effort is made to achieve a prosecution, as demonstrated in recent months by the legal transfers by the European Union of suspect pirates to Mauritius and The Seychelles authorities.”

The Rayo incident comes exactly one year since the last ship, chemical tanker MV Smyrni, was seized by armed pirates off the Somali coast.  Thankfully MV Smyrni and her crew were released 2 months ago, after 10 months in captivity.  However, since May last year, 9 more ships have been attacked and, with 2 ships and 54 hostages still being held and pirates once again issuing death threats to hostages if ransoms are not paid, it is clear that there is no room for complacency.

During the escort, members of the French Navy crew remained on constant look-out, with the ship’s Panther helicopter ready to launch to help deter any pirate attack.

Prior to the escort, the captain of FS Nivôse visited the WFP vessel in order to meet the ship’s captain.  He was able to commend the captain on his application of self protection measures, known generally as ‘Best Management Practice’ (BMP), that protect a ship against pirate attack.  Examples of BMP are: the use of barbed wire along the edge of the ship; increasing speed and surveillance while transiting the High Risk Area and the construction of a citadel or ‘safe room’ in which the crew can lock themselves in should they come under attack and from where they can still control the ship and radio for assistance.

The French Navy surveillance frigate FS Nivôse is currently on her sixth deployment with EU NAVFOR. The protection of humanitarian aid carried by WFP ships is one of the key tasks of Operation Atalanta. European Union navies participating in EU NAVFOR also deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia and protect vulnerable ships.

The event began with a classroom based review of fire-fighting techniques and procedures, as well as a detailed explanation of the equipment available on board the Swedish ship. The personnel from Djiboutian Coastguard were then given the opportunity to try some of the breathing apparatus used for fire-fighting on board HSwMS Carlskrona.

The training was led by HSwMS Carlskrona’s experts in this area who, on completion of the theoretical training, began a practical exercise on the Carlskrona’s flight deck. Here, the members of the Djiboutian Coastguard were able to practice extinguishing an oil-based fire using the techniques discussed earlier in the day. They were then given a practical demonstration of the effects of the different types fire extinguishers available on board.

On completion of the training, the Djiboutian Coastguard personnel expressed their gratitude to HSwMS Carlskrona for the thorough and professional manner in which the training had been conducted.

HSwMS Carlskrona has been part of the EU Naval Force counter-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta, since 6 April 2013.

With EU Naval Force’s counter piracy patrol area covering over 2 million square miles of ocean, air support from land to sea is crucial to ensure that the warships remain fully operational in order to maintain pressure on pirates.

The carefully wrapped helicopter parts were dropped into the sea next to De Ruyter from the Spanish aircraft’s sonar buoy tubes in a specially designed container.   The container was equipped with a small stabilization parachute with an opening delay system to prevent it striking the aircraft when launched.  Extra weight was also added to enhance the fall trajectory and buoyancy.  After completing all the necessary tests with the aircraft on the ground, and satisfied with the results, the Spanish craftsmen proceeded to paint the container yellow to improve its visibility. Of course, they also included red stripes and the silhouette of a bull to resemble the Spanish flag.

The launch was successfully performed at a pre-determined time and position, and the container was immediately picked up by HNLMS De Ruyter.

After the drop, the aircraft returned to her counter piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia.

Speaking about the successful operation, Lieutenant Commander Jean Marc Stervinou, the logistics co-ordinator of the EU task force said “This was an interesting challenge for the EU Naval Force units and a great example of effective and combined operations”.  The EU Force Commander, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma, congratulated the Spanish MPRA team for demonstrating “flexibility and professionalism, thus enabling sustainability of an Operation Atalanta warship”.

The Defence Minister began her visit to Djibouti by visiting the Swedish Support Unit located on the French military base in Djibouti.  She then went on board Carlskrona, where, after receiving a presentation on the warship’s activities as part of the EU’s counter piracy Operation Atalanta, the Defence Minister had the opportunity to meet members of the ship’s crew.

During a demonstration on the helicopter deck, the Defence Minister said “You are doing a fantastic job and have already shown that you are making a difference in Operation Atalanta.  I would like to take this opportunity to convey a message to your relatives who through their support, play a vital part in your efforts.”

For the visit, the Defence Minister was accompanied by Rear Admiral Jan Thörnqvist, Chief of Staff of the Royal Swedish Navy and Commander Maritime Component Command.  The Admiral had previously been the Force commander of EU NAVFOR from April to August 2010.

HSwMS Carlskrona has been conducting counter piracy operations off the Horn of Africa since 6 April 2013.

In partnership with Somalia, the EU aims to help build a more stable and secure Somalia by means of an integrated approach that combines political support, institution building, development aid and security support. The three missions provide counter piracy patrols at sea with the EU Naval Force, mentoring, advisory and specialist training of the Somali National Armed Forces in Somalia with the EU Training Mission, and the boosting of regional maritime security and capability with the recently launched maritime capacity building mission, EUCAP NESTOR.

The EU is looking forward to continuing to work closely with the Federal Government of Somalia as we progress towards the international Conference this September in Brussels, which will be jointly hosted by the EU and Somalia.  This Conference will seek to enshrine international support to address Somalia’s most critical political, security, and socio-economic priorities under a New Deal Compact. thus endorsing a new  relationship between Somalia and the international community with a focu on medium and long term priorities of Somalia and its people.

The EU special envoy for Somalia, Michele Cervone d’Urso, stated at the end of the meeting

“This event was a timely opportunity to further strengthen EU-Somali partnership on security and ensure effective response to the Somali people of all EU instruments including CSDP missions.”

Earlier this week HSwMS Carlskrona was contacted by the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Force Commander on board the flagship of the operation the Portuguese warship NRP Álvares Cabral. A member of the ships company of the British Royal Fleet Auxiliary (RFA) replenishment ship Fort Victoria, had suffered urgent and severe abdominal pains, necessitating an immediate medical evacuation.

HSwMS Carlskrona, participating in Operation Atalanta, was fortunately in the vicinity of RFA Fort Victoria. Carlskrona’s helicopter was soon airborne and picked up the person in question. The patient had quickly fallen ill with serious symptoms that could require surgical treatment. After landing, he was brought to the medical department on board HSwMS Carlskrona where he was admitted to the emergency room for medical examination and treatment. His condition was closely monitored and improved gradually. In the morning the medical team could see that, this time, they were able to cure the condition without surgery, which is not always possible.

HSwMS Carlskrona, with her Role 2 LM advanced medical capability, has the capacity to treat cases like this in the same way that is offered in civilian emergency hospitals. This time, surgery was not required, although the option of doing so in case the need should arise was available. “The success of this case has confirmed that our planning, exercises and resources have enabled us to perform well in a surgical emergency situation”, said the Senior Medical Officer on board, Åke Karlbom after the incident. The condition of the patient has now considerably improved and the Senior Medical Officer assesses that he may be discharged tomorrow for transport back to his ship.

This event highlights the excellent capability that HSwMS Carlskrona brings to EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta and to the wider area of operations. Ships in the region share details of there medical capability and can respond to emergencies from all the multi-national forces and civilian shipping within the busy region.

This cooperation is in line with the EU’s Commitment to working with states off the Horn of Africa to help build security and stability in the region. EU Naval Force units are working closely with staff from the recently launched EUCAP NESTOR mission, which aims to secure a long-term resolution to the piracy problem by enhancing the coastal maritime capacity of the Horn of Africa countries. These training exercises allow better understanding of maritime units involved in counter piracy as well as the sharing of experiences and promoting best practice.

Surveillance ship FS Nivose has been part of the EU Counter-Piracy mission, Operation Atalanta which contributes to the deterrence, prevention and repression of piracy since 10 April.