On Wednesday 8 October members of the Somali Coast Guard and Port Police Force who are participating in a training course run by EUCAP Nestor in Djibouti, had the opportunity to visit two EU Naval Force warships, FGS Lübeck and FGS Berlin.
The trainees from Somalia were split into two groups and attended briefing sessions on both ships about their capabilities. The briefings were followed by a tour of the ships and by a question and answer session, where the participants could ask experienced naval personnel about their daily work.
The trainees were very interested and asked many questions, particularly about the Replenishment at Sea (RAS) capabilities of the FGS Berlin and boarding operations conducted by the FGS Lübeck during its deployment as part of EU Naval Force.
The group is taking part in a Coast Guard Basic Training Course conducted in Djibouti by EUCAP Nestor. Such courses are held regularly by EUCAP Nestor for different levels of participants, from new recruits to senior officers. A port control course for six officers from the Port of Mogadishu is currently underway in cooperation with Djiboutian Port Authorities and Navy.
EUCAP Nestor is a civilian mission, under the Common Security and Defense Policy of the European Union,. which assists countries in the Horn of Africa and the Western Indian Ocean (Somalia, Djibouti, Seychelles, Tanzania) in strengthening their capacity to ensure maritime security and in particular to fight piracy
EU Naval Force Somalia is the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta. Operation Atalanta deters, prevents and represses acts of piracy and armed robbery off the coast of Somalia. EU Naval Force ships protect World Food Programme vessels delivering aid to Somalia and AMISOM shipping. EU Naval Force ships also contribute to the monitoring of fishing activity off the Somali Coast.