EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

On 30 November, the EU NAVFOR German ship FGS RHOEN conducted her last day of operations as an EU NAVFOR unit, after 102 days of counter-piracy activities in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin.

FGS RHOEN is a support warship who conducted a variety of tasks whilst deployed and performed 28 replenishments at sea. Rear-Admiral Philippe Coindreau, EU NAVFOR Force Commander, expressed his deep satisfaction and thanks to the crew of the warship.

“I am convinced that your enthusiasm and your engagement in this operation have had a great impact on the counter-piracy mission.”

EU NAVFOR’s huge area of operations (the size being equivalent to 8 times the land mass of Germany) makes distances to cover by warships significant. Tankers are therefore a valuable asset, enabling warships to stay at sea on operations for longer periods.