On Tuesday 6 December Dutch flagship HNLMS Tromp started her long journey back to her home port of Den Helder in the Netherlands after completing a four month deployment with the European Union’s counter-piracy operation, Atalanta off the coast of Somalia.
During her deployment, the Royal Netherlands Navy Air Defence frigate has sailed over 25,000 nautical miles with her sailors and marines spending the majority of their time at sea in the Gulf of Aden and off the East coast of Somalia, conducting counter-piracy patrols to ensure that attacks by Somali pirates, that were common place just a few years ago, remain suppressed.
During their deployment the crew also spent time talking to Somali fishermen to explain the role of the EU warships and to listen to their concerns about maritime security. The crew also worked with staff from EU sister mission, EUCAP Nestor, to provide maritime training to regional states maritime forces.
On HNLMS Tromp’s final day with EU NAVFOR, Operation Atalanta’s Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Cristóbal González-Aller Lacalle, visited the flagship alongside in Djibouti. During his visit, Rear Admiral González-Aller Lacalle stated: “Operation Atalanta’s recent mandate extension is testament to the EU’s commitment to Somalia and the wider region. But the extension also highlights that more work needs to be done to ensure that piracy is not allowed to return to the waters off the coast of Somalia. Your efforts to assist staff from EU sister mission, EUCAP Nestor, to help strengthen maritime security and develop alternative livelihoods is to be applauded. With our ships and maritime aircraft patrolling the High Risk Area 24/7 the pirates and their investors are on the back foot - and we need to keep it that way.”
HNLMS Tromp will arrive back home in mid December, with her crew enjoying some well-earned relaxation with their families.