The Colombian Warship “7 de Agosto” will joined the Operation Atalanta as Associated support last 8th of August. During her time on the Operation, she will monitor and protect the vulnerable shipping, the vessels of the World Food Program and the African Mission in Somalia. She will also collaborate in deterring and disrupting any piracy activity in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden.

After performing an inspection on her capacities between the 14th and 17th July, commanded by the Spanish Evaluation Center for the Combat back in the Naval Base of Rota, Spain, she arrived to the port of Yibuti the last 8th August 2015. The inspection consisted on a check all through an evaluation in harbor and some exercises at sea, about the interoperability and the capacities of the Colombian Warship to carry out Maritime Security operations within a multinational military coalition.

The Colombian participation on the operation Atalanta will be leaded by the Spanish Navy due to an agreement of collaboration between the two navies. The Spanish Navy, with her units, the ESPS Warship “Galicia”, the Maritime Patrol Airplane “Barbo”, and the Force Headquarters that are deployed on the Area of Operations will ease as much as possible the Colombian pass throughout the operation Atalanta to reach the success of the first non-European Warship on the Operation. This instance will be probably seen in the future as a model for the upcoming integrations of other navies.

On board the Colombian Warship “7 de Agosto” there is a Spanish liaison team compose by one Officer, one Chief Petty Officer and one Seaman First Class. The main objective of the liaison team is to coordinate the efforts with the Force Headquarters and all the European Union units, as well as between the Colombian and the Spanish navies.

The Colombian Warship is perfectly ready to perform her tasks on the Operation Atalanta, reaching the truly ambitious objectives of her pass all over the Operation.  For this purpose, she is fitted with a 40mm and 20mm gun, a flight deck and a hangar ready for flight operations with an Augusta Bell 412 and finally 3 fast embarkations.

The Colombian Warship “7 de Agosto” with a length of 80,6 meters and 13 meters width, with a crew of 65 people, commanded by the Captain Darwin Alberto Alonso Torres is the second ship of her class and the first one that will participate in a real operation against piracy activity.