EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

Early this morning, 29 July, the Maltese flagged merchant vessel MV FRIGIA was released.
The MV FRIGIA, a Maltese flagged cargo ship with a deadweight of 35,000 tonnes was hijacked on 23 March 2010 approximately 1000 nautical miles east of the northern Somali coastline. MV FRIGIA has a crew of 21 (19 Turkish and 2 Ukrainian).
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 Union 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.