Operation Atalanta

Operation Atalanta
Part of counter-piracy efforts off the Horn of Africa
Date8 December 2008 – present
(15 years, 11 months, 2 weeks and 1 day)
Location
Gulf of Aden, Guardafui Channel, Arabian Sea, Indian Ocean
Result Ongoing
Belligerents
List
 Somali pirates
Commanders and leaders
  • European UnionSpain Vice Admiral José María Núñez Torrente [es]
    (Operation Commander EU Naval Force)
  • European UnionItaly Rear Admiral Paolo Spagnoletta
    (Deputy Operation Commander EU Naval Force)
  • European UnionPortugal Commodore Rui Correia
    (Force Commander EU Naval Force)
 Unknown
Strength
  • 1–4 surface vessels
  • 1–2 maritime patrol & reconnaissance aircraft
(normally)		 Unknown
Casualties and losses
Unknown Unknown

Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is an ongoing counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean, that is the first naval operation conducted by the European Union (EU), in support of United Nations resolutions 1814, 1816, 1838, and 1846 adopted in 2008 by the United Nations Security Council. Since 29 March 2019,[1] the operational headquarters is located at Naval Station Rota (NAVSTA Rota) in Spain, having moved from London as a result of the British withdrawal from the EU.[2]

It is part of a larger global action by the EU to prevent and combat acts of piracy in the Indian Ocean, and it is the first EU naval operation to be launched.[3] It cooperates with the multinational Combined Task Force 151 of the US-led Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and NATO's anti-piracy Operation Ocean Shield.

The mission was launched in December 2008 with a focus on protecting Somalia-bound vessels and shipments belonging to the WFP and AMISOM, as well as select other vulnerable shipments. In addition, Operation Atalanta monitors fishing activity on the regional seaboard.[4] In 2012, the scope of the mission expanded to include Somali coastal territories and internal waters so as to co-ordinate counter-piracy operations with Somalia's Transitional Federal Government (TFG) and regional administrations.[5] On 16 July 2012, the EU also mandated the EUCAP Nestor mission to build up the maritime capacity of regional navies.[6]

In July 2018, the Council of the European Union extended the Mandate of Operation ATALANTA until December 2020.

On 1 January 2021, the Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/2188[7] of 22 December 2020 that extended again the mandate of the EU NAVFOR Somalia Operation ATALANTA for another two years was implemented.

  1. ^ "La Base de Rota (Cádiz) acoge la celebración por los 15 años del inicio de la operación Atalanta de la Unión Europea". Europa Press (in Spanish). 23 November 2023.
  2. ^ "EU piracy force to leave UK post-Brexit". BBC News. 30 July 2018. Retrieved 29 May 2022.
  3. ^ Butler, Graham; Ratcovich, Martin (July 2016). "Operation Sophia in Uncharted Waters: European and International Law Challenges for the EU Naval Mission in the Mediterranean Sea". Nordic Journal of International Law. 85 (3): 235–259. doi:10.1163/15718107-08503003. The first EU naval mission, Operation Atalanta, launched in 2008 is still an active operation that has had its mandated extended to meet the need for its continuance.
  4. ^ "Mission". EU NAVFOR Public Affairs Office. Retrieved 16 January 2011.
  5. ^ "EU Extends Counter-piracy Operations Off Somalia By Two More Years". RTT News. 23 March 2012.
  6. ^ "GGI Analysis: The Somali crisis and the EU". Global Governance Institute. 24 July 2012. Archived from the original on 2 April 2013.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ Council Decision (CFSP) 2020/2188 of 22 December 2020 amending Joint Action 2008/851/CFSP on a European Union military operation to contribute to the deterrence, prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast, 23 December 2020, retrieved 29 May 2022