EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

Today, 20 July, the hijacked merchant vessel UBT Ocean was released.

The UBT Ocean, a Marshall Island flagged chemical tanker with a deadweight of 9,224 tonnes, was hijacked on 05 March 2010 approximately 300 nautical miles from Dar Es Salam.  UBT Ocean has a crew of 21 and they are all from Myanmar/Burma.

EU NAVFOR Somalia – Operation Atlanta’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.