Radio Netherlands
Sunday. August 22-, 2010
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The Dutch supply ship Amsterdam leaves the northern port of Den Helder on Monday, bound for Somalia. Once there, it will take part until November in the European Union’s anti-piracy mission Atalanta. The Dutch navy’s ship The Seven Provinces is currently participating in NATO’s Ocean Shield anti-piracy operation off the Horn of Africa.
The 166 metre-long Amsterdam is primarily being deployed to keep other ships in the mission fully stocked with fuel, munitions and other supplies. It is armed with machine guns, a rapid-fire cannon, and a special radar system.
The EU and NATO missions are intended to disrupt and combat piracy off the coast of Somalia. The Netherlands has already deployed the vessels De Ruyter, Evertsen, Tromp and Johan de Witt for this purpose. The Seven Provinces and the Evertsen have been deployed twice. In June, the Dutch parliament voted to extend its country’s contribution to the EU mission. The far-right Freedom Party was the only party to vote against the extension.
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