At a ceremony in Djibouti on board the EUNAVFOR French warship, FGS DE GRASSE, Rear Admiral (FR) Philippe Coindreau, who has been the Force Commander of EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA for the last four months, handed over to Rear Admiral Juan Rodriguez of Spain.
He will lead the multinational Force Headquarters onboard the EUNAVFOR Spanish warship PATIÑO for the next four months.
On Tuesday 14th December the handover took place on board FS DE GRASSE and the Admirals exchanged information regarding Operation ATALANTA.
SPS PATIÑO now becomes the new flagship of the European Union Naval Force Operation ATALANTA.
“In 2010, 72% of pirate attacks have failed, 81% since August. Those results are due to the combination of EUNAVFOR’s action, the application of new concepts of operations, the use, by the maritime community, of systematic security measures on merchant vessels and high-quality cooperation with other naval forces and independent Navies”, said French Rear Admiral Philippe Coindreau. He continued: “Admiral, the responsibility of continuing the mission will soon be in your hands. I am convinced that your command will be marked by significant and fruitful actions.“
The new EUNAVFOR Force Commander, Rear Admiral Juan Rodríguez thanked Rear Admiral Philippe Coindreau and stated: “The ships, the aircraft and the people that worked for EUNAVFOR before us, have achieved an impressive record of effectiveness.
EUNAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA's main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.
He will lead the multinational Force Headquarters onboard the EUNAVFOR Spanish warship PATIÑO for the next four months.
On Tuesday 14th December the handover took place on board FS DE GRASSE and the Admirals exchanged information regarding Operation ATALANTA.
SPS PATIÑO now becomes the new flagship of the European Union Naval Force Operation ATALANTA.
“In 2010, 72% of pirate attacks have failed, 81% since August. Those results are due to the combination of EUNAVFOR’s action, the application of new concepts of operations, the use, by the maritime community, of systematic security measures on merchant vessels and high-quality cooperation with other naval forces and independent Navies”, said French Rear Admiral Philippe Coindreau. He continued: “Admiral, the responsibility of continuing the mission will soon be in your hands. I am convinced that your command will be marked by significant and fruitful actions.“
The new EUNAVFOR Force Commander, Rear Admiral Juan Rodríguez thanked Rear Admiral Philippe Coindreau and stated: “The ships, the aircraft and the people that worked for EUNAVFOR before us, have achieved an impressive record of effectiveness.
EUNAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA's main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Program (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, and to deter and disrupt piracy. EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.