Submarine 'Tramontana' joins NATO's Operation Sea Guardian

• For over a month, the submarine will contribute to the knowledge of the maritime environment and support counter terrorism on Mediterranean waters

S-74 ‘Tramontana’ has set off from Cartagena (Murcia) to join Operation Sea Guardian (OSG). This is the fifth time that this submarine has taken part in this NATO operation.

Nowadays, nearly 90 per cent of the total volume of freight is transported by the sea, and the Mediterranean is no exception. In terms of energy alone, roughly 65 per cent of the oil and natural gas consumed in Western Europe transits the Mediterranean each year.

In this context, NATO launched Operation Sea Guardian in November 2016, focused on maritime awareness to deter and counter terrorism, as well as to mitigate other threats. It is a flexible operation, which can cover a wide range of maritime security tasks, if requested by the North Atlantic Council, such as maintaining freedom of navigation, conducting maritime interdiction, countering the spread of weapons of mass destruction and protecting critical infrastructure.

Once again, the integration of S-74 ‘Tramontana’ reflects Spain's commitment to NATO in the pursuit of maritime security.

The S-74 is named in reference to the cold, turbulent North wind that blows off the coast of northeastern Spain and its home port is Cartagena. It is the fourth of its class and has been in service since 1984. It has a crew of 68 men and women.

With the silence and stealth that characterises them, submarines are able to conduct surveillance without being spotted and, in this way, locating and identifying vessels suspected of engaging in illegal activities without being detected.