Sunday November 20, 2016
EU sister-missions, EUCAP Nestor and EU Naval Force Somalia (EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta), recently held a series of meetings with state government officials and local leaders in Bossasso, in the Puntland state of Somalia. During the meetings the maritime security situation off the Somali coast was discussed and the importance of keeping the number of pirate attacks suppressed.
Meeting with Puntland ministers and elders of Bossasso enabled Operation Atalanta and EUCAP Nestor staff to further develop relationships with Puntland state and provided an opportunity to coordinate future efforts to further strengthen maritime security for seafarers and to bolster the capacities of Somali maritime organisations, such as the Bossasso Port Police, who were also present.
EUCAP Nestor’s representative commented, “The meetings have been very constructive and fruitful. We now have even better understanding of the situation in Puntland and where the support of EU Missions would be required the most. We are all in this together and these meetings are a great example of the good cooperation between the local leadership and the EU Missions.”
Op Atalanta’s Force Commander, Dutch Commodore Luyckx, was pleased with the discussions and the engagement with the local authorities. “Cooperation and coordination is crucial between the EU organisations, but also with key Somali officials and security agencies. It is only by working together that the threat of piracy might one day become a distant memory.” he said.
Alongside the meetings, there was an opportunity for members of the Bossasso Port Police to train with Dutch sailors at sea off the northern Somali coast. Thirteen members of the Port Police were hosted onboard HNLMS Tromp and took part in exercises designed to teach and hone search skills of suspicious vessels. The Dutch sailors were pleased to work with the Port Police, who quickly picked up the techniques demonstrated.
Training events such as this are a vital part of Operation Atalanta’s ongoing commitment to strengthen cooperation and capabilities of regional partners.
EUCAP Nestor is a civilian European Union mission aimed at enhancing maritime security capacities of Somalia. EU NAVFOR’s role is to protect World Food Programme humanitarian aid vessels and to deter and disrupt acts of piracy.