The F-81 frigate ‘Santa Maria’ calls at the port of Salalah during its deployment in Operation ‘Atalanta’.

•  The Spanish ship received the Spanish ambassador to Oman and carried out exercises with the Omani patrol vessel ‘Shinas’ and the Korean ship ‘Wan Geon’.

The frigate ‘Santa Maria’ has called at the port of Salalah in Oman during its deployment in Operation ‘Atalanta’, which provides surveillance and deterrence against piracy and illicit trafficking in Indian Ocean waters.

During that call at the Omani port, the ‘Santa María’ welcomed on board the Spanish ambassador to Oman, Francisco Javier Istúriz Simonet. It also received a logistical flight from Spain to carry out maintenance work and reception of a blood bank, among other activities. The ship also undertook the tasks of food and fuel provisioning.

On the other hand, in the framework of cooperation and closer relations between navies, the Spanish frigate has developed an exercise with the Omani patrol vessel ‘Shinas’. In this context, the Search and Boarding team ‘Trozo de Visita y Registro’ of the Santa Maria was sent to the Omani vessel in a rigid-hulled inflatable boat for a boarding and inspection exercise. Moreover, impressions about the respective operational procedures were exchanged as well as search and frisk training was conducted.

A PASSEX exercise was also carried out with the ship ‘Wan Geon’ from the Republic of Korea, which is operating in the area as part of Combined Task Force 151. Furthermore, the Force Commander of Operation Atalanta was transferred on board the South Korean ship in order to present the organisation and tasks of this operation, as well as to discuss the shared fight against piracy in the Indian Ocean.

‘Atalanta’ Operation

Operation Atalanta was the result of a series of UN resolutions adopted after the increase in acts 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.

Since 29 March 2019, after taking over from the United Kingdom, Spain has led the operation from the Operational Headquarters 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 reached and the challenges for the future. Over this time, the operational area has been extended in successive mandates. Currently, it covers the Gulf of Aden and neighbouring countries, including the port and city of Muscat (Oman), the Somali basin, the Red Sea, the Gulf of Suez and the Gulf of Aqaba.

Regarding the support for Operation Atalanta, Spain is contributing approximately 350 military personnel, as well as the following means and units:

·         The Operation Headquarters, OHQ, at Rota Naval Base.

·         One frigate/ warship.

·         An embarked helicopter.

·         An embarked 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 demonstration of our commitment to security in the region, Spain has been the only European Union country to have participated continuously in Operation Atalanta since its launch 16 years ago.