HNLMS ZUIDERKRUIS, a Fast Combat Support Ship, in service with the Royal Netherlands Navy since 1975, joined Operation ATALANTA on 5 September 2011.

Commanded by Commander Herman de Groot with a crew of 190 and an embarked Lynx helicopter, she will operate off the Horn of Africa until the end of November in support of World Food Programme and AMISOM escort ships and counter-piracy in the region.

Displacing 16,900 tons, HMNLS ZUIDERKRUIS is a logistic supply ship with an underway replenishment capability for diesel oil, aviation fuel and provisions which enhances the ability of EU NAVFOR and other warships to remain at sea on task.

EUNAVFOR Somalia – Operation ATALANTA’s main tasks are to escort ships carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), deter and disrupt piracy and protect other vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean. In addition, EUNAVFOR monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.