The BPC Mistral on patrol with the Centinela in the Gulf of Guinea

(B2) The French ship PCB Mistral (L-9013) and the Spanish patrol boat Sentinel (P-72) are on a joint anti-piracy maritime surveillance mission in the Gulf of Guinea. The French projection and command building (BPC) sailed from Toulon on October 7 for what is called, on the French side, Operation Corymbe (*). He joined the Sentinel who was in the region, having left his base in Ferrol on September 19. An action carried out within the framework of the reinforced quadripartite maritime collaboration signed between four European countries (Portugal, Spain, Denmark and France).

Senegal, Ghana, Cape Verde, Mauritania

The operation is divided into three phases, specifies the Spanish navy. The first phase, until mid-October, included surveillance of transit in the Gulf of Guinea and collaboration on security in Senegal. In the second (current) phase, the Sentinel will be in the Gulf of Guinea in support of the maritime sector in Ghana, with one main objective: “ identification of maritime risks in the region, such as terrorism, illicit trafficking, illegal immigration and piracy ". In the last phase, the Sentinel will collaborate with the authorities of Cape Verde for the “ joint surveillance of maritime areas under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of that country ". He will also work with the Mauritanian navy on fisheries surveillance, rescuing people, combating illegal activities and illegal immigration.

Exercise with the navies of the countries of the region

At the end of October, a larger-scale exercise was organized with the navies of the neighboring countries, the BPC Mistral, the Centinela and a Royal Navy vessel.

(NGV)

(*) Operation Corymbe is a quasi-permanent operation of the French armed forces in the Gulf of Guinea set up since 1990. It has two major objectives: 1°) to participate in the protection of French interests in the area; 2°) participate in the reduction of maritime insecurity in the Gulf of Guinea and in particular by helping to strengthen the capacities of the navies bordering the Gulf in the field of maritime security.