Atalanta's Force Commander takes over

• The ceremony took place onboard frigate Canarias and was chaired by Atalanta's Commander, vice admiral Núñez Torrente

Spanish frigate 'Canarias' as EUNAVFOR's flagship, hosted the Atalanta's Force Commander HOTO ceremony while docked in the port of Djibouti. Portuguese commodoro Joao Paulo Silva Pereira, embarked since February the 15th, has passed the baton to Italian rear admiral Fabrizio Bondi, who will board with his staff on the Italian frigate 'Bergamini'.

The event was chaired by EUNAVFOR Atalanta's Commander, vice admiral Jose María Núñez Torrente, who visited the warships deployed in the area of operations.

During the ceremony, Commodore Silva, of the 39^th rotation, handed over the EU flag to Rear Admiral Bondi, this symbolises the handover of the Force Headquarters (FHQ). Afterwards, both commanders addressed a few words to the attendees, ending with a medal parade to present Atalanta's medals, ending the ceremony with a few words addressed by Vice Admiral Núñez Torrente.

During the ceremony, all protocols against the COVID-19 were observed by the attendees.