On the occasion of the Refuelling At Sea (RAS) between the EUNAVFOR Flagship ITS ETNA and the Korean warship ROKS CHUNGMUGONG YI SUNSHIN, in the Gulf of Aden, Rear Admiral Giovanni Gumiero took advantage of the proximity of the two ships to visit Captain Myung Sung Kim, Commander of CheonHae Escort Force and Commanding Officer of the Korean Warship.

Republic of KOREA is contributing to the fight against piracy with a Destroyer patrolling in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC) in the Gulf of Aden serving under the Command of CTF 151 (US-led anti piracy coalition Task Force) and, occasionally, escorting Korean Flag Merchant Vessels.

The visit paid by CTF 465, RAdm Gumiero,  enhanced the already good relationships with the Korean Forces in the Region and further areas of cooperation were explored.

RAdm Gumiero stated that “this first refuelling of a South Korean ship by EU NAVFOR went extremely well and helps to enhance our excellent relationships with coalition forces in the area”

EU NAVFOR SOMALIA Operation ATALANTA main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the ‘World Food Program’ (WFP), to protect vulnerable ships in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy.