● The commitment of the Spanish Armed Forces in the surveillance and prevention of piracy in the Indian Ocean continues
A French A400M plane took off last Saturday from French base BA188 in Djibouti with the last 13 Spanish servicemen from the 36th Spanish contingent of the Orion Detachment. These are P3 aircraft's maintenance personnel belonging to the 22nd Group, which is participating, under operational control of the Operations Command, within the EU Naval Force's Operation Atalanta in Somalia.
The A400M took off at 09:30 (Djibouti time) bound for the French base of Solenzara (Corsica), where the group has embarked on a Spanish T.21 of the 35th Wing bound for the air base of Morón de la Frontera.
Strict health protocols issued by the national Djiboutian and French authorities have been applied during the embarkment process, due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
This final rotation was postponed due to health regulations implemented by local authorities, which included a quarantine in Djibouti. Until that quarantine ended, the personnel belonging to the 37th contingent could not initiate their maintenance Works. Meanwhile, these duties were executed by the outgoing personnel.
Despite the difficulties created by the COVID-19 pandemic, the commitment of the Spanish Armed Forces to face the threat of piracy affecting vessels sailing through the waters of Somalia, the Gulf of Aden and the Western Indian Ocean, remains strong.
DAT Orion's P-3 aircraft provides maritime surveillance capabilities over large areas. This capability contributes directly to the safety of maritime traffic and provides quick awareness within the area of operations and also a rapid reaction capability if required.
Spain as one of the largests contributing nations, shows that its commitment with this opertaion is strong. Spanish Troops and military resources have been involved in this operation since 2008, when it was launched.