Contingent Relief at the Tactical Air Detachment "Orion"

•  The 49th Contingent of the "Orion" Detachment of "Atalanta Operation " is relieved by the 50th Contingent

The handover ceremony was held between the 49th and 50th Tactical Air Detachment (DAT) "Orion" Contingents in the European Union (EU) "Operation Atalanta" based in Djibouti.

The ceremony was presided over by Colonel Carlos Enrique Herraiz Linares, representing the Operations Command, and was attended by the Spanish and European Union ambassadors in Djibouti, as well as other civilian and military authorities from the EU, the United States, the United Kingdom, Germany, Spain, France, Italy, Japan, China, South Korea and Kenya.

In a solemn and simple ceremony, the outgoing Force Commander, Commander Juan Carlos Peñas Carvajal, has handed over the command of the Spanish detachment to Lieutenant Colonel Cesar Antonio Oliver Martorell, thus concluding the mission of the 49th Contingent after three months of deployment during the monsoon period, giving support to the detachment where it will now deploy again a maritime surveillance aircraft D4 VIGMA, MPA version of the CN-235 aircraft.

The DAT "Orion" exemplifies the commitment acquired by Spain in the fight against piracy in the western Indian Ocean, all with the aim of protecting the vessels of the World Food Programme and those of the United Nations as well as the other ships, mainly fishing boats, that sail in the area.

Since its inception in 2008, Spain has been the only EU country to continuously participate in Operation Atalanta. This has established Spain as a reliable ally in the fight against armed violence at sea, resulting in the virtual elimination of acts of piracy and a significant reduction in illegal trafficking flows in the western Indian Ocean and the Red Sea.