Succession in the Indian Ocean
(B2) Spanish Rear Admiral Ricardo Hernandez took command of the EU maritime force against piracy on Saturday (9 March).
A small ceremony took place in the presence of General Charlie Stickland OBE, the Operation Commander, on the Spanish flagship ESPS Navarra. This is the 31st rotation of forces since the launch of the counter-piracy operation in December 2008. The ceremony was attended by the commander of the Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Force destroyer Samidare, currently under the command of the multinational force CTF151, based in Bahrain.
« EU NAVFOR is more than ships. (It's) a maritime security capability network and you form the center of that network. said General Stickland, whose last days were at the head of the operation. The senior British officer must, in fact, leave his post, Brexit obliges.
The anti-piracy operation currently has three ships: the ESPS Navarra (F-85), flagship, the Spanish high seas patrol boat ESPS Relampago (P-43) and the Italian frigate ITS Carlo Margottini (F-592) – which has just returned to the operation – as well as a Spanish P3 Orion maritime patrol aircraft, based in Djibouti.
(NGV)
