Over the last 4 months, under the sea command of Rear Admiral Dupuis, the EU Naval Force has carried out counter-piracy patrols off the coasts of Somalia day and night. These patrols have resulted in the disruption of 5 armed Pirate Action Groups, thus preventing the pirates from attacking merchant ships, assisted 45 fishermen to return home to their families, and in May, an EUROMARFOR warship performed the first shoreline operation against a pirate logistic dump, with the aim of denying pirates' impunity to plan their attacks on the shore. At the ceremony, Rear Admiral Dupuis stressed how proud he was of his Force's actions during his 4 months in command and how happy he was with the trust-based relationships he had with the task force units, which he saw as key to the good results obtained. The year 2012 has seen a reduction in the number of pirate attacks off the coasts of Somalia, with 33 attacks recorded so far this year, compared with the 176 for 2011. This reduction is due to a number of factors: namely the shipping community adhering to Best Management Practices which make it more difficult for pirates to pirate a ship, the many disruptions carried out by EUROMARFOR warships and other maritime partners, such as NATO and CMF, together with the efforts of the Somali authorities ashore, and the increasing use of private armed security teams on board merchant vessels.