EUNAVFOR welcomes Spanish amphibious ship SPS GALICIA

Aug 31, 2010 - 16:14
On 31 August, the Spanish amphibious ship SPS GALICIA joined the EU NAVFOR Task Force 465 to start her tour of operations.

SPS GALICIA is a 160 meter long, amphibious ship and has with a displacement of 13,000 tons. She is carrying 3 helicopters and 2 landing crafts, which will be considerable assets to the Task Force in the fight against piracy. In addition to this she carries hospital facilities.

SPS GALICIA is a new ship that has already participated in alleviating the damage caused by hurricane Mitch, and in the fighting against pollution caused by sinking of the oiler Prestige. SPS GALICIA provided humanitarian aid in Iraq during the war of 2003. She also participated in Operation “Respuesta Solidaria”, alleviating suffering in Indonesia caused by the tsunami in 2005, and Operation “Libre Hidalgo” in Lebanon, in 2006, under the auspices of the U.N.

EU NAVFOR 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). EU NAVFOR also protects vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean, deters and disrupts piracy. EU NAVFOR finally monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

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