EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

Today, 24 September 2010, the EU NAVFOR Spanish ship SPS Galicia’s boarding team approached a Kenyan dhow named “Sherry” off the eastern coast of Somalia.

Suspicions were first raised when the dhow was observed towing 2 skiffs.

After investigating the dhow, the boarding team of SPS GALICIA found in total 14 people on board; it transpired that there were nine crew members and one Somalian translator being held by 4 suspected pirates.

All 14 people were transferred to the EU NAVFOR Spanish ship SPS Galicia for further investigation.

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). EU NAVFOR furthermore protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. Finally, EU NAVFOR monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.