Earlier this week Operation Atalanta’s Croatian Maritime Protection Team was awarded the Common Security and Defence Policy service medal in recognition of their outstanding work off the coast of Somalia as part of the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta.

The highly trained Croatian team has been aboard the World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel, MSM Douro, for the past four months. Their role has been to ensure that the WFP vessel, which carried much-needed humanitarian aid for displaced people in Somalia, remained safe from any pirate attack.

The medal ceremony was held in the port of Djibouti, with the medals presented by Operation Atalanta’s Commander Fabrice Guerrier, who is the Officer in Charge of Atalanta’s support team, based in Djibouti.

In addressing the Croatian team, Commander Guerrier said that they should be proud of their achievements in ensuring that food and other humanitarian aid arrived safely in Somali ports for the Somali people.

After receiving their medals, the Croatian team departed Djibouti for home to spend some well-earned time with their families.