On Monday 6 August 2018, Major General Charlie Stickland oversaw the Change of Command ceremony, where Rear Admiral Alfonso Nanclares (Spanish Navy), assumed command of Operation Atalanta’s Force Headquarters (FHQ) from Rear Admiral Simone Malvagna (Italian Navy), during a ceremony held on board ITS Carlo Margottini in Djibouti.

The FHQ will be embarked on EU NAVFOR’s new flagship ESPS Castilla, and is made up of personnel from European Union member and non-member States. Rear Admiral Nanclares brings a wealth of counter-piracy experience to Op Atalanta and will lead the FHQ at sea for approximately four months.

During the handover ceremony, Rear Admiral Nanclares stated his intention to continue the good work that the previous FHQ achieved on board ITS Carlo Margottini, he said: “I want to pass on my congratulations to my predecessor, Rear Admiral Malvagna and his crew for yet another successful counter-piracy deployment… I am truly grateful to the EU Member States for appointing me as the Force Commander of Operation Atalanta and I realize that the appointment comes with high responsibility.”

Rear Admiral Malvagna has been the EU NAVFOR Force Commander on board ITS Carlo Margottini, since April 2018.  At the ceremony, he expressed his gratitude towards his FHQ staff and crew. Since the beginning of the Operation in 2008, EU NAVFOR and its counter-piracy partners have been highly effective in reducing pirate attacks off the Horn of Africa.