“Operation ATALANTA is more than just the units we have deployed in the area. We are working in a key area for international trade.”

R. Adm. Antonio Martorell Lacave

Rota, 12 June 2019 — On Wednesday afternoon, the Chief of the Chilean Navy, Admiral Julio Leiva Molina, visited the Operation Headquarters (OHQ) to learn more about the current status of EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA.

In the framework of a wider visit to the Spanish Navy, Adm. Leiva and the Chief of the Spanish Navy Staff, Adm. Teodoro López Calderón, took the opportunity to also visit the OHQ, where Operation ATALANTA Commander Rear Admiral Antonio Martorell Lacave warmly welcomed them.

“Operation Atalanta is more than the units we have deployed in the area,” said R. Adm. Martorell Lacave in a brief welcome address. “We are working in a key area for international trade.”

Officers from the OHQ took the opportunity to brief Adm. Leiva and Adm. López Calderón on current news from Operation ATALANTA, including the most recent pirate attack. Engagement between Chile and EU NAVFOR Operation ATALANTA has been continual since 2015.