EUNAVFOR

EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

Dutch LPD-ship JOHAN DE WITT was a true Force multiplier for EU NAVFOR

July 1, 2010 - 10:40
 After two and a half months of intense duty in EU NAVFOR the Royal Netherlands Ship JOHAN DE WITT sails back to her home harbour Den Helder. On passing Malta she will disembark her excellent Maltese Vessel Protection Detachment. JOHAN DE WITT has been used for a variety of tasks, but mainly in operations close to the Somali coast, where her special capabilities were best utilised.

JOHAN DE WITT is an LPD ship (Landing Platform Dock) equipped with smaller boats and landing craft that when needed are launched from her stern, she is also equipped with a role 2 hospital.  She commenced her service in EU NAVFOR on the 17 April and left on the 29 June.

JOHAN DE WITT is equipped with two Landing Craft Utility (LCU) and four Landing Craft Vehicle and Personnel (LCVP). Whilst deployed on Operation ATALANTA the landing crafts were not used to put materiel and personnel ashore, but to establish two Afloat Forward Operating Bases (AFOB) each consisting of one LCU and two LCVP’s. An AFOB, with some twenty naval and Royal Netherlands Marine Corps personnel, including a staff-element and medical crew, was designated its own area of responsibility.

The EU NAVFOR Force Commander, rear Admiral (LH) Jan Thörnqvist, praised the versatility of JOHAN DE WITT and stated: “This Dutch unit has, together with its Maltese Vessel Protection Detachment, proved to be a most useful asset in the task force. The ship and her crew were always successful in their tasks whether it has been escorts or close to shore-operations such as intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance (ISR) missions.”

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.



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