EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

The French Navy anti-submarine destroyer  de Grasse  left Toulon in southern France late 31 July, having embarked the future Atalanta force commander and his multinational staff.

Rear-Admiral Philippe Coindreau, deputy commander of the French Naval High Readiness Force, will take over command of Task Force 465 and thus « de Grasse » will replace the current Swedish Force HQ on board « HSwMS Carlskrona ».

Before assuming command, transit from Toulon to the area of operation will be an opportunity to “warm-up the engines” and begin to optimize the battle rhythm. Once in Djibouti and after a few days of exchange with the Swedish staff, Rear-Admiral Coindreau and his staff will assume the command of TF 465, from August 14, 2010.

The staff comprises 29 sailors from 8 different nationalities. Including the flag ship’s crew members, a total of approximately 330 sailors on board destroyer « de Grasse » will be operating in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin as of mid-August.
EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of  African Union Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf  of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.