On Monday 27 July 2015, the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General (MBE) Martin Smith, visited the Operation Atalanta flagship, ESPS Galicia.

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 best pictures of the fly operations of the day.

The Spanish Warship "Galicia" has reached the half way point in her deployment with the European Union’s counter piracy operation off the coast of Somalia. Galicia took over from Dutch warship, HNLS “Johan De Witt”, as the Operation Atalanta flagship on 6 May 2015.

Sailors looking for foreign object debris (FOD). FOD is any loose object which can be moved through the air during flight operations. Even small pebbles the size of peas can cause great damage.

"FOD is the responsibility of all hands," every sailor will say it. "FOD can be one of the most dangerous things on the flight deck or in the hangar bay."

A piece of FOD ingested into an engine can cause engine failure and possibly the loss of the helicopter or the aircrew. Additionally, propellers, rotors and engines can blow the FOD through the air, something which can injure Sailors.

The Colombian Warship “7 de Agosto” will shortly join the Counter Piracy operation of the European Union off the coast of Somalia, the Operation Atalanta as associated support. The arrival of the American Warship is attended the next 9th August 2015 and will remain until the 11 September.

So as to get prepared for the Operation Atalanta, the Colombian Warship has made a week long stop on the Spanish Naval Base of Rota in the Southwest of Spain. The Spanish Navy will guide the Colombian Navy in general and the Warship “7 de Agosto” in this particular case for the Counter Piracy fight off the coast of Somalia.

Picture of the day: All with the same objective, the shooter and the photographer: the end of piracy activity.

Author: Ursua Javier

On 16th July 2015, with the purpose of the Spanish Navy Day, many different activities were held on board the European Union Flagship (and EUROMARFOR flagship). The 16th July is the most important day in the Spanish Navy and is strongly celebrated everywhere in the Navy.

On 15th July 2015, the Force Headquarters of the Operation Atalanta relieved the Combined Task Force 151 in the fight against piracy activity at sea. The Operation Atalanta will lead the important task of Counter-Piracy coordination among the three big military coalitions in the Indian Ocean region until the next 15th January 2016.

On board European Union Flagship ESPS “Galicia”, the young dentist, Lieutenant Luis Megino Blasco and his sanitary sailor Glenis Olarte Escobar, provide assistance to the crewmembers and all the Somali seafarers in need of dentistry assistance.

The Spanish warship Infanta Cristina departed from her base port on the 18t^h February and joined the operation Atalanta on the 6^th March 2015. She has now, after almost 4 months, completed her mission.

On the 30th June, the EU Naval Force flagship’s ESPS “Galicia” completed a 10 hours port visit to Djibouti for logistics and personnel change-over. The Force Commander and COMGRUEUROMARFOR, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gómez Fernández de Córdoba and a delegation from his multi-national Force Headquarters visited some authorities based in Djibouti.

During recent counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia, Operation “Atalanta” warship ESPS “Galicia” conducted a Replenishment at Sea (RAS) with French Navy ship, FS “Var”, which is currently deployed as part of the Combined Maritime Forces in the region.

On Friday 26 June 2015, ESPS “Galicia” and Japanese warship JDS “Ikazuchi” encountered at sea in the Gulf of Aden.  The Commander of the Japanese Escort Division 1, Captain Atsushi Nakasuji and the Ikazuchi Comanding Officer, Commander Kazuharu Hokazono, as part of the Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151), welcomed the Force Commander of the EUNAVFOR (and COMGRUEUROMARFOR) in Somalia, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gómez Fernández de Córdoba and some members from his staff on board the Japanese destroyer. The meeting at sea shows the close cooperation between the two counter-piracy tasks forces.

CTF443 (COMNAV) and COMEUROMARFOR (ALFLOT) were in the area of operations during the re-embarkation of the Landing Force.

During the TACTICAL PHASE (23 to 26 JUN15) took place the amphibious assault. EUROMARFOR units protected the amphibious force from conventional and unconventional attacks.

Operation Atalanta warship, ITS Libeccio, carried out counter-piracy training with the Royal Omani Navy during a port visit to Salalah.

The Exercise CONTEX-PHIBEX 15 is now in Phase 3. Tactical Phase (TACEX from 23-26JUN), it includes an Amphibious Raid.

This phase is focused on real time planning and execution of the full spectrum of operations in support of crisis management. In detail, this phase is governed by the deployment of an amphibious force to conduct an initial entry force operation, before the beginning of a peace enforcement operation. It also includes the enforcement of an embargo operation, with possible asymmetric threat opposition.

EUROMARFOR units, integrated in the Task Force 443, have been conducting the CET-FIT phases according to the Schedule of Events.

On the 21th June 2015 new units joined the force, namelly ESPS Juan Carlos I and ESPS Castilla. This is a signal that the amphibious assault will take place in the next few days.

New photos were added to the picture gallery of CONTEX-PHIBEX 15.