During the 7th August the Puntland Maritime Police Force performed a rescue to the Yemeni fishing vessel “Al Amal”, stranded off the east coast of Somalia, near to the small village Eyl.

The Force Headquarters on board ESPS “Galicia” received early in the morning of the 5th August the information coming from a South Korean Warship, belonging to the Combined Task Force 151. Right after receiving this information, the Battle Watch Captain of the Force Headquarters was phoned by the Yemeni fishing vessel’s master.

Taking advantage of the Maritime Patrol Aircraft flight scheduled for the morning of the 5th, the Force Headquarters tasked the Spanish Airplane “Barbo” to fly over the area and to check the situation of the fishing vessel “Al Amal”.

Rapidly, the Force Headquarters reacted and coordinated the rescue with the local authorities of Puntland. The continuously interaction with the Puntland Maritime Police Force permitted the Force Headquarters to be uninterruptedly updated over the course of events.

On Sunday 2 August 2015, the Commanding Officer of ESPS Galicia, Captain Rafael Fernandez-Pintado, met officers from the Royal Navy of Oman during the Spanish warship’s port visit to Salalah.

On 31 July 2015, Operation Atalanta flagship, ESPS Galicia, sailed into the port of Salalah to resupply the Spanish warship with food and stores.  During the visit, Force Commander, Rear Admiral Alfonso Fernández Gómez de Córdoba, took the opportunity to invite on board the commanding officer of INS Sunayna, Commander Sarvpreet Singh, as the Indian warship was also berthed in the Omani port.

The curriculum of the new ALFLOT and new COMEUROMARFOR.

On the 29^th July 2015, Admiral D. Francisco Javier Franco Suanzes assumed the duty of Chief of Spanish Fleet (Almirante de la Flota - ALFLOT) and COMEUROMARFOR (Operational Commander of EUROMARFOR).

One of the core tasks of European Union Warships in Somalia for the Operation Atalanta is the protection of World Food Program (WFP) vessels delivering aid to Somalia. This particular escort of a WFP chartered vessel was conducted by the European flagship ESPS “Galicia”.

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.