Meeting reiterates: Piracy not eradicated off the Horn of Africa
Rota, 23 May 2019—
On 23 May, ECSA’s Maritime Security Working Group met with the EU NAVFOR
Somalia Operation Atalanta at their operation headquarters in Rota, Spain.
Representing the European shipping industry, the ECSA
delegation met with the EU NAVFOR's team to discuss the current state of piracy
off the coast of Somalia. The delegation also visited the naval assets
participating in Operation Atalanta.For the past ten years, EU NAVFOR has
deterred and prevented acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of
Somalia, protected vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) and African Union
Mission Somalia (AMISOM), and monitored acts of illegal fishing.
While it is true that today the number of attacks is
minimal, this is only a result of the industry’s implementation of Best
Management Practices along with the combined action of different actors and
organisations, notably the states in the region.
“We know for a fact that pirate networks maintain the
intent, the means and the capability to deploy and attack merchant vessels,”
said R. Adm. Antonio Martorell Lacave. “It is up to us – military operations,
coalitions and regional states – to uphold deterrence, operate in a flexible
and agile manner and keep the seas safe.”
“Operation Atalanta has been a key element in the decrease
of piracy attacks,” Flemming Dahl Jensen ECSA’s Maritime Security Working Group
Chair mentioned. “We need to ensure there are sufficient resources allocated to
guarantee its successful continuation.” EU NAVFOR remains committed to
deterring, preventing and suppressing piracy and emphasizes that the Maritime
Industry must continue to adhere to BMP measures in order to maximize the
safety of the ships and crews whilst transiting the high-risk area.
The European shipowners expressed their support to EU NAVFOR
Operation Atalanta and their close cooperation with other international actors.
The shipping industry will continue to cooperate with the EU NAVFOR team to
ensure that Somali-based piracy stays suppressed.
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For more
information, please contact:
Spokesperson
- EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation Atalanta
+34 956 470 570
For more
information, please contact:
Martin Dorsman
Secretary General
Rue Ducale, Hertogstraat 67/B2, 1000
Brussels, Belgium
T +32 2 510 61 26
European Union Naval Force • Operation Atalanta • European
Union Operation Headquarters • Rota Naval Base • ES-OHQ-Rota • Rota, Cádiz •
11530 • +34 956 470 570 • eunavfor.eu