The European Union (EU) is extending the Atalanta security operation to protect shipping in the Horn of Africa.
This operation protects merchant ships off the coast of Somalia, in the Gulf of Aden, in the western Indian Ocean and in parts of the Red Sea from attacks by rebels and pirates.
In future, “Atalanta” will also work more closely with the EU’s Aspides mission, which aims to protect merchant shipping from the Huthi in the Red Sea and the Bab al-Mandab Strait, one of the central waterways for global trade.
Martin Kröger, Managing Director of the German Shipowners’ Association (VDR), expressly welcomes the extension: “In a world in which shipping is increasingly becoming a pawn in geopolitical conflicts, the security of maritime trade routes remains indispensable.”
Atalanta was launched in 2008
In principle, piracy continues to pose a significant threat to maritime shipping. In addition, merchant ships are at the mercy of highly armed rebels such as the Houthi, who carry out targeted attacks on ships in the Red Sea. For fear of attacks, many shipping companies have been taking expensive and time-consuming detours for around a year.
Operation Atalanta was launched at the end of 2008 to counter the rise in piracy in the western Indian Ocean. Since then, it has made a significant contribution to the suppression of piracy and the protection of merchant shipping. It reduces the threat to the international maritime community.
