The Spanish Minister of Defence, Mr Pedro Morenés, was the guest of honour during Operation Atalanta’s Force Headquarters Change of Command ceremony that was held on board Dutch flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, on Wednesday 6 May 2015 in Djibouti.

At the ceremony Spain took Force Command of the Force Headquarters from Sweden.

Once the ceremony had concluded, the Minister visited the crew of Spanish warship, SPS Rayo, which was also alongside in Djibouti. After being welcomed on board, the Minister took the opportunity to thank the crew for their hard work over the past five months.

The Minister then embarked the new EU Naval Force flag ship, SPS Galicia, to meet the new EU Force Commander and EUROMARFOR Task Group Commander, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gomez, and be given an overview of the capability of the ship, including the embarked Unmanned Aerial Vehicle, known as Scan Eagle.  He then addressed the crew, reassuring them that their effort in the coming months will help to provide not only a secure environment for seafarers, but also to those countries in the region.