The Navy Ship P-44 'Tornado' provides medical assistance to the Spanish fishing boat 'Playa de Bakio'.

• One of the crew members was to be transferred to the nearest port for medical attention.

The maritime action vessel  'Tornado' (P-44) has provided medical support to a Spanish fishing boat, the 'Playa de Bakio', reinforcing the support that the Navy units provide to national ships, which are far from national territory, in this case, in the Gulf of Guinea and the West African coast. 

The  'Tornado', after locating the Spanish fishing vessel in its navigation area, contacted it to inform it of its presence in the area and the mission it is carrying out in the Gulf of Guinea. The trawler then reported that one of the Spanish crew members on board had acute pain in the abdominal area and that its intention was to reach a nearby port as soon as possible so that he could receive medical assistance.

At that moment, the medical support of the  'Tornado' was coordinated so that the medical team on board could provide assistance and assess his situation. Using the vessel's "Rhib" boat, the medical personnel were transferred to the fishing boat.

Once on board the 'Playa de Bakio', the crew member was given an initial assessment and support treatment to alleviate his pathology. The medical team also gave a series of instructions to the fishing boat's personnel for the treatment to be followed by the patient until his full recovery.

The captain of the 'Playa de Bakio' thanked the crew of the 'Tornado' for the assistance provided by the Navy.

Deployment to the West African coast and the Gulf of Guinea

During the CMP-GoG (Coordinated Maritime Presence - Gulf of Guinea) deployment, the vessel carries out maritime surveillance and environmental awareness activities on a permanent basis, thus contributing to increased maritime security in the region. It is also planned to carry out multiple military cooperation activities with the coastal countries, fostering mutual knowledge and trust and helping to increase their capabilities in the area of maritime security.

Likewise, the  'Tornado' will support the Spanish diplomatic delegations in the region, with the aim of contributing to the State's action abroad and reinforcing national interests in the region. The ship, which is part of the Maritime Action Force in the Canary Islands Naval Command, will be integrated into the Maritime Operational Command, based in Cartagena, and under the operational control of the Operations Command during this deployment.

EU Coordinated Maritime Presences

The deployment of the  'Tornado' makes a decisive contribution to strengthening the European Union's Coordinated Maritime Presences initiative as an effective instrument to improve maritime security in the area, and to advance cooperation between the EU and West and Central African states. The aim of this mechanism in the region is to ensure a permanent maritime presence and availability, to promote international maritime cooperation and to provide greater European operational capacity. It should be noted that Spain, as a partner fully committed to European security and defence, is one of the main contributors to this EU initiative.

 ‘Tornado’

The  'Tornado', the fourth ship of the "Meteoro" class, was built by Navantia in San Fernando and delivered to the Navy in 2012. It is based in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria and has deployed on two previous occasions to the West African coast and the Gulf of Guinea, as well as in Operation Atalanta against piracy in the Indian Ocean on several occasions.

The Maritime Action Ships are designed to carry out maritime surveillance and security missions in maritime areas of national interest, the fight against maritime pollution, the fight against illegal immigration and collaboration with the State Security Forces and Corps in the fight against drug trafficking and terrorism.