A Colombian ship engaged in the fight against pirates
(B2) The Colombian navy is now hard at work in the Indian Ocean engaged in the European anti-piracy operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta. The Colombian Navy warship '7 August' (47) thus happened on August 8 in the port of Djibouti.
A first for the Colombian Navy
This is a first for the Colombian Navy, as we announced (Read: The Colombian navy as reinforcements in the Indian Ocean?). And it is even the first time that a ship from Latin America has been engaged alongside the Europeans in a PeSDC mission (*). However, this Colombian participation is very much due to Spain, which has " sponsored this participation under a collaboration agreement between the two navies.
Spain's commitment
L'Armada Spain intends to make this participation in the European operation " a success and serve as an experiment and a model for the future integration of other navies “Says a press release from the Ministry of Defense in Madrid. Before being engaged, the '7 days ago' thus skip one " inspection visit » at the Center for the Assessment of the Bay of Cadiz (EVADIZ) from July 14th to 17th. Inspection which made it possible to assess the interoperability and capabilities of the ship (and its crew) " to conduct maritime security operations integrated into a multinational force », using exercises in port and at sea.
A liaison team on board
Placed under the command of Captain Darwin Alberto Alonso Torres, the crew '7 August' consists of 65 people. A Spanish liaison team (composed of an officer, a non-commissioned officer and a first class), will remain on board the ship until the completion of the Indian Ocean deployment, to enable day-to-day coordination with the operation's flagship, the Galicia (L-51). This OPV-80 type offshore patrol vessel was manufactured by the German shipyards Fassmer, which also equips the Argentine and Chilean navies (download its technical sheet). 80,6 meters long and 13 meters wide, it has two guns (20mm and 40mm), 3 outboard boats and a hangar to house an Augusta Bell 412 helicopter.
(NGV)
(*) However, this is not the first participation of a Latin American country in a PeSDC mission. Some Chilean officers served in the peacekeeping operation in Bosnia-Herzegovina (EUFOR Althea). But this participation was quite symbolic.
