EUNAVFOR: Spain offers a frigate and a supply tanker
(BRUSSELS2) Spain should provide a frigate and a supply tanker, in addition to a maritime surveillance plane (already on site), to the "Eunavfor" operation to fight against piracy in Somalia, the minister announced of the Spanish Defence, Carme Chacon, during a meeting (in Djibouti) with his French counterpart, Hervé Morin. She also announced that Spain was ready to take command of the European force which will be deployed off Somalia. This confirms our latest information (1).
Start of operations: end of 2008
However, the force would not be fully operational, at the beginning of December but rather at the end of December, or even at the beginning of 2009. The drafting of the commitment documents (joint action in particular) taking longer than expected. EU foreign and defense ministers are expected to approve it on November 10. And the force generation conference, scheduled for December 3, should make it possible to define the means that each country will provide.
Mutual assistance
The two ministers also signed a declaration of intent for mutual assistance against possible attacks by pirates on ships flying the Spanish or French flag. This agreement provides for the exchange of information and cooperation in operational intelligence, the exchange of military personnel in order to strengthen the means of the two countries and the commitment to support the interests of either country where they are threatened. This will resolve some of the legal difficulties of the operation.
A P-3 Orion aircraft in action
Spain has deployed since September 21, as part of its "Centinela Indico" operation, a P-3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft (from the Ala 11 squadron, based in Morón de la Frontera, Seville), was sent to Djibouti with a contingent of 90 soldiers (pilots, mechanics, support elements). Operation budget: 8 million euros for three months (renewable). The aircraft's primary mission is to protect fishing boats (particularly Spanish), by signaling any suspicious movement or to intervene. He is also in contact with the EuNavco cell of the European Union to coordinate the fight against piracy to which he transmits his information.
Intervention on an oil tanker
It also performs various security missions. It thus intervened, recently, on October 28, to prevent the hijacking of an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden. The incident occurred, according to the Spanish military, 35 miles off the coast of Yemen and 130 miles off the northern coast of Somalia. The tanker"Leander", flying the Panamanian flag, had sent out a distress signal, announcing that it was being attacked by two pirate ships. To deter the pirates, the plane made three passes over the ships and dropped a smoke bomb on each of them. On the third passage, the two "skiff" pirates then gave up. The P3-Orion is an aircraft specialized in the control and surveillance of the coast and watch; it can carry out in particular photographic intelligence, the identification of ships, as well as fisheries rescue and protection missions.
(NGV)
(1) Read: The name of the EuNavFor operation in Somalia is... (and other news)
