EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

On September 12, EU NAVFOR welcomed the German frigate FGS KÖLN to Operation ATALANTA. Commanded by Commander Christopher Karow, the ship and her 219 crew members will operate in the area of operations off the Horn of Africa for the next three months; the ship previously deployed to the mission during the autumn of 2010.

Her tasking will be to assist in the counter-piracy patrols in the region, to escort World Food Program (WFP) and African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) vessels, and to contribute to the monitoring of fishing activities off the coast of Somalia.

She has been in service with the German Navy since 1984, displaces 3,700 tons and is equipped with two Sea-Lynx helicopters.