EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

The EU NAVFOR French warship, FS Nivôse, came under small arms fire on 20 May from the coast in the port of Mogadishu, as the warship provided safe conduct to MV Alpha Kirawira and Petra 1.

In the early hours of Thursday 20 of May, the EU NAVFOR warship FS Nivôse approaching Mogadishu, to begin the escort of MS Alpha Kirawira and Petra 1. Both ships had just unloaded as part of the AMISOM mission in support of the African Union forces in Somalia. Heavy gunfire ashore in the city had already been heard aboard the Nivôse prior to the incident when, just outside Mogadishu harbour small arms water strike was observed as being directed at the warship.

Nivôse responded with warning shots in the direction of the fire and the assault ended. Neither Nirvose nor the two merchant vessels were damaged in the attack. Nivôse then proceeded to escort the two merchant ships to Mombasa.

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 Unions Mission in Somalia, AMISOM and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf  of Aden and Indian Ocean and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.