EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

EU NAVFOR MPA Detachment ORION attended the farewell ceremony of the Navy Captain Satoshi ASAOKA, Commanding Officer of the Japanese Air Force counter piracy team, in Djibout on 28th of January in Camp Lemonier.

Lt Cdr Pedro A MUÑOZ FERNÁNDEZ, Commanding Officer of EUNAVFOR Detachment ORION, on behalf of RAdm Giovanni GUMIERO, COMEUNAVFOR, presented the EUNAVFOR Crest to Capt ASAOKA as a sign of appreciation for his contribution to the Task Force mission and his coordination efforts with the maritime patrol community in the Gulf of Aden. The ceremony was attended by representatives of all the Maritime Patrol Units stationed in Djibouti.

The patrolling activity of aircraft in ATALANTA Operation provides crucial added value to the Operation as shown in the recent dramatic rescue of the M/V ARIELLA. The area of operations is huge and MPA are key assets to the fight against piracy.  On many occasionsan acts of piracy have been disrupted as a direct result of the exchange of information and coordination between Maritime Patrolling Area (MPA) and EUNAVFOR Warships.

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.