On the 25th July 2015 the Chief of the Djiboutian Navy visited the Spanish Warship “Galicia” at sea in the vicinity of Djibouti. The Colonel Abdourahman Aden Cher was welcomed on board by the Force Commander Rear Admiral Alfonso Gómez Fernández de Córdoba and the ESPS “Galicia’s” Commanding Officer, Captain Rafael Fernández-Pintado Muñoz-Rojas.

The visit of the Colonel Aden offered an opportunity to build on the already strong bonds between European Naval units and the Djiboutian maritime forces. The Chief of the Djiboutian Navy arrived on board of the flagship by one of the embarkations of the Spanish Warship.

Firstly they proceed, according to the schedule, with a guided visit along the Warship. The garage, the hangar, the hospital and the bridge were some of the places showed to the Djiboutian Colonel.

During the visit, after being on the hospital, they had the opportunity to make a family picture in the flight deck and afterwards they headed to the bridge where they ended the tour. Then they had a lunch in the Admiral’s Cabin.

Discussing on the ongoing operations, the Chief of the Djiboutian Navy stated: “I am truly convinced that our collaboration with the European units in the fight against piracy is very fruitful. We are always looking forward to execute training exercises with the European warships. The Operation Atalanta has helped to reassure and develop a more robust maritime security along the Djiboutian coastline. My dream is to reach a point where we could be able to actively participate to deter and disrupt the piracy activity or any other illegal activity at high seas in the Gulf of Aden. The Djiboutian Navy is truly interested in participate on the counter piracy fight operations and maybe in the near future we will be able to escort a vulnerable ship in the Gulf of Aden”

The Force Commander and the Commanding Officer of the ESPS Galicia thanked the Colonel Abdourahman for his visit on board and insisted on that the mutual collaboration is the key to end with the scourge of piracy at sea.