Recently, the crew of EU Naval Force’s Spanish Warship ESPS Rayo met with the Puntland Maritime Police Force (PMPF) to reinforce local cooperation and interaction.

ESPS Rayo has been patrolling the seas to deter, disrupt and repress acts of piracy in the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean since the end of July 2017. During these patrols, ESPS Rayo ship’s Captain Lieutenant Commander Rafael Gallego Naranjo met up with the PMPF to assist in improving maritime security off the coast of Somalia.

The PMPF team took advantage of the opportunity to see firsthand the capabilities of ESPS Rayo in suppressing acts of piracy in these critical maritime trade routes around the Horn of Africa.  Meetings such as these serve to enhance mutual trust, improve understanding with local authorities, strengthen local security and help to prevent acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia and the Indian Ocean.

Spanish Navy warship, ESPS Rayo, is currently deployed off the coast of Somalia as part of the EU NAVFOR counter-piracy operation.