EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

On the 30 December the Spanish Frigate F-86 Canarias, for the second time, joined EUNAVFOR.

Last time she was a part of  EUNAVFOR  was in 2009. Commanded by Commander Rafael Fernandez-Pintado, the ship and its crew are fully prepared and trained to take an active part within EUNAVFOR. CANARIAS is equipped with extensive self defense capability and includes two SH-60B helicopters. The warship has an advanced medical facility and will relief SPS PATIÑO as the platform for EUNAVFOR Force Commander and his staff.

As a flexible warship, CANARIAS is well adapted to counter-piracy missions and will improve the capability of EUNAVFOR to protect vulnerable vessels, especially those of the World Food Programme, to deter and prevent acts of piracy, and to contribute to monitoring fishing activities off the coast of Somalia.

F-82 Canarias holds 202 crew members, including 21 officers. She has been commissioned for service in the Spanish Navy since 1994. The warship has a displacement of 4.100 tons and a length of 138 meters.

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