Medal for Serbian VPDs engaged in the Indian Ocean
(B2) The Serbian Maritime Protection Team (VPD) was awarded the CSDP Service Medal on Sunday (September 18) in recognition of “ for their exceptional work off the coast of Somalia as part of the counter-piracy operation Atalanta » announces the HQ of the operation.
This is a little known fact. But the Serbs are, in fact, stakeholders in the EUNAVFOR Atalanta operation for six months. They are on board one of the ships chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), the MSM Douro, which provides food aid to Somalia. Their mission: to ensure that the WFP ship is not attacked by pirates.
Three ships, two planes
The operation, currently led by a Dutch officer, Commodore Luyckx, has been greatly reduced in numbers from the highest level of piracy. It does, however, have three ships — the Dutch HNLMS Trump (F-803), which serves as the flagship, the Italian Maestrale-class frigate, Euro ITS, and the Spanish Squadron-class frigate, theESPS Santa Maria — as well as two maritime patrol aircraft — a Spanish P-3M Orion (Cisne) and a German P3-C Orion (Jester).