- The new Force rotation is commanded by Portuguese Commodore José Rodrigues Pedra and the Spanish ship, ESPS SANTA MARÍA is the new flagship of the Operation.
- Spain was leading the Force Command in the previous rotation on board Spanish ship ESPS NUMANCIA as flagship of the Operation.
On 10 October 2026, Spanish Rear Admiral Francisco Javier Vázquez Sanz ended his command of the 53rd rotation as Force Commander of EUNAVFOR Operation ATALANTA. He assumed command of Task Force 465 on June 2026 and, together with his staff, responded to several piracy-related incidents in the area.
The ceremony was chaired by the EUNAVFOR ATALANTA Deputy Operation Commander, Rear Admiral Ostilio de Majo. Rear Admiral Vázquez Sanz handed over command to Portuguese Commodore José Rodrigues Pedra who will lead ATALANTA forces.
During his first speech to his team he assured of his comprimise to the tasks assigned to the operation. Commodore José Rodrigues Pedra and his command staff is embarked aboard the new ATALANTA flagship, ESPS SANTA MARÍA as the 54th rotation of the Force Headquarters.
The ceremony was attended by several international and local civilian and military authorities including several European Union Ambassadors and commanders of different forces in the area.
The Force Headquarters, under the command of the Operation Headquarters in Rota (Spain), is an embarked headquarters forward deployed to ATALANTA Area of Operation, responsible for the Tactical Command of all EUNAVFOR multinational assets in the area. Its main responsibility is conducting operations at the operational and tactical level, under the ATALANTA Operation mandate and the Operation Headquarters’ guidance.
