On 13 October, the EU NAVFOR Operational Commander, Major General Antonio Planells Palau, hosted the 9th High-Level Industry Strategy meeting at the Operation Headquarters in Rota. It was attended by the leadership of relevant Shipping Industry Associations.
EU NAVFOR’s strategic relationship with the International Shipping Industry is the cornerstone of its success in deterring, preventing and repressing piracy threats off the Coast of Somalia. It is the result of our trusted partnership with the Shipping Industry as well as a combined effort of military Forces and the well-established protection measures in Best Management Practices 5. This joint deterrence and inter-dependence are the reason why Somali piracy is contained.
The meeting reinforced the need for continued civil-military engagement at the strategic level. Operation Commander Major General Antonio Planells explained the adjustments of the EU NAVFOR’s mandate that is being recommended by the EEAS as part of its strategic review and the possible addition of secondary tasks addressing weapons trafficking, narcotics trafficking, the illegal exporting of charcoal from Somalia and IUU Fishing.
General Planells stressed the importance of this opportunity to strengthen the operation´s effectiveness to tackle other maritime criminality in Somalia on the regional maritime routes across the Horn of Africa for which transnational maritime crime has become so prevalent. He also stated that, despite the possible extension of the Area of Operations into the southern Red Sea further North, the commitment to counter-piracy protection of vulnerable shipping in the area of operation will remain unchanged.
EU NAVFOR’s strategic relationship with the International Shipping Industry is the cornerstone of its success in deterring, preventing and repressing piracy threats off the Coast of Somalia. It is the result of our trusted partnership with the Shipping Industry as well as a combined effort of military Forces and the well-established protection measures in Best Management Practices 5. This joint deterrence and inter-dependence are the reason why Somali piracy is contained.
The meeting reinforced the need for continued civil-military engagement at the strategic level. Operation Commander Major General Antonio Planells explained the adjustments of the EU NAVFOR’s mandate that is being recommended by the EEAS as part of its strategic review and the possible addition of secondary tasks addressing weapons trafficking, narcotics trafficking, the illegal exporting of charcoal from Somalia and IUU Fishing.
General Planells stressed the importance of this opportunity to strengthen the operation´s effectiveness to tackle other maritime criminality in Somalia on the regional maritime routes across the Horn of Africa for which transnational maritime crime has become so prevalent. He also stated that, despite the possible extension of the Area of Operations into the southern Red Sea further North, the commitment to counter-piracy protection of vulnerable shipping in the area of operation will remain unchanged.