The frigate 'Santa María' takes over from the frigate 'Numancia' in the Operation 'EUNAVFOR ATALANTA'

• Operation “Atalanta” will be commanded by a Portuguese commodore onboard the Spanish frigate “Santa Maria” 

The handover ceremony of Operation “ATALANTA” took place in the port of Djibouti. During the ceremony, Spanish Commodore Manuel Alvargonzález Méndez, who has led the operation since June 2024, transferred the tactical command of the EUNAVFOR Force Operation Atalanta (FCDR) to Portuguese Commodore Armando da Costa Valente Tinoco onboard the frigate Numancia, which ends her deployment after four months.

The event was attended by an important diplomatic representation. Among the authorities, the presence of the European ambassador in Djibouti Denisa-Elena Ionete, and the commanders of the forces deployed in the region, stood out.

As for the flagship of the European Union Naval Force (EUNAVFOR ATALANTA), the frigate 'Numancia' hands over to the 'Santa Maria', which begins its mission to fight against piracy in the Gulf of Aden and, at the same time, to protect the ships of the United Nations food program.

The frigate 'Santa Maria' joins the 48th Atalanta Force Headquarters Rotation.

‘Operation Atalanta’

Operation Atalanta was the result of a series of UN resolutions adopted after the increase of piracy in the Indian Ocean from 2005 onwards. With Spain's strong support, in 2008 it became the first EU naval operation to be carried out within the framework of the Common Security and Defence Policy (CSDP).

Since 29 March 2019, after taking over from the United Kingdom, Spain has been leading the operation from Operational Headquarters (OHQ), located at the Rota Naval Base (Cádiz).

Furthermore, at the end of 2022, the EU Council approved the extension of the operation's mandate until December 2024, reflecting the achievements made and the challenges for the future. Throughout this time, the area of operations has been extended in successive mandates. It currently covers the Gulf of Aden and neighbouring countries, including the port and city of Muscat (Oman), the Somali Bassin, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba.

In terms of its contribution to Operation Atalanta, Spain is contributing approximately 350 military personnel, as well as the following assets and units:

-      The Operation Headquarters, OHQ, at the Rota Naval Base.

-      One frigate/ warship

-      One embarked helicopter

-      One on-board special operations team

-      One maritime reconnaissance and surveillance aircraft (DAT ‘Orion’) in Djibouti

-      Liaison offices located in Mogadishu (Somalia), Manama (Bahrain), Brussels (Belgium) and Port Victoria (Seychelles).

-      Operation Logistics Support Unit deployed in Djibouti (Djibouti).

As a sign of our commitment to the security of the region, Spain has been the only country in the European Union to have participated continuously in ‘Operation Atalanta’ since its launch 16 years ago.