EU Naval Force - Somalia
Operation ATALANTA

Today, 14 April, in a ceremony held at the Commercial Port of Djibouti, Portuguese Commodore Alberto Correia took over the command of Task Force 465 (TF 465) as the new European Union Naval Force Headquarters – Operation ATALANTA Force Commander.  Commodore Correia takes over the duty from his predecessor, Spanish Rear Admiral Juan Rodriguez.

During the handover, presided over by EU NAVFOR Deputy Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, Commodore Correia congratulated Rear Admiral Rodriguez for the results achieved during his command and thanked him for his outstanding efforts. He emphasized that ”The mission priorities given to TF 465 are absolutely clear to me. No significant changes will be made in the operational planning process and that escorts to World Food Program and AMISOM will remain as the top priorities”.

For the next four months, Commodore Correia will lead the Multinational Force Headquarters onboard the EUNAVFOR Portuguese warship NRP VASCO DA GAMA.

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

See the video