EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

EU NAVFOR warship Louise-Marie protects WFP M/V Semlow – Hijacked in 2005

On the 19th of November, the merchant vessel (M/V) Semlow – loaded with food supplies for the Somali population – arrived safely in Mogadishu after a three day transit. The escort was carried out by EUNAVFOR warship Louise-Marie.

In 2005, the M/V Semlow, entering Somali waters without EUNAVFOR escort was hijacked by Somali pirates and remained in captivity for more than 3 months.

On the 17th of November 09 EUNAVFOR warship Louise-Marie departed the port of Mombasa on a mission to escort the World Food Program (WFP) ship M/V Semlow to Mogadishu. The ship was carrying much needed food supplies for the Somali people.

Whilst navigating close to the Somali coast – known for harboring pirates – the EU NAVFOR warship protected the M/V Semlow using her helicopter and implementing force protection measures.

After a 1000 km transit along the coast of Somalia, the Louise-Marie and her valuable escort arrived in Mogadishu on the 20th of November. The offloading started swiftly and food will be distributed shortly to the Somali people by WFP personnel.

This was the second successful escort of a WFP ship by Louise-Marie and the 45th successful WFP escort for EU NAVFOR overall.