Earlier today Operation Atalanta warship, ESPS Santa Maria, arrived in the Seychelles for a port visit.
During the port visit ESPS Santa Maria sailors took the opportunity to conduct maritime training exercises with the Seychelles Coastguard and Maritime Police Unit. The training focused on how to approach and then board a vessel at sea which has possible assailants or pirates on board.
The training formed part of Operation Atalanta’s role to support the EU’s wider efforts to strengthen maritime security and help develop regional states’ capabilities at sea to ensure that piracy remains suppressed in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden.
At the end of the port visit, ESPS Santa Maria will return to her counter-piracy patrols off the Somali coast.