German Navy ship trains Somaliland Coast Guard

Germany Navy corvette FGS Erfurt, part of Operation Atalanta, provided specialist training to Somaliland Coast Guard students in coordination with EUCap Nestor under the Local Maritime Capacity Building efforts.

EUCap Nestor is a civilian mission which is mandated to support the development of maritime security in Somalia. It works closely with Operation Atalanta to train and encourage a self-sustaining maritime security capability in Somalia.

The topic for this training package was maritime radio communication. Subjects covered included radio communication, the Automatic Identification System (AIS) used by many modern vessels and how to operate navigational radar.

The students will ultimately be manning the Operations Centre in the harbour town of Berbera and will be required to supervise shipping routes and pass on safety information to vessels transiting through the area.

Erfurt’s Deck Officer, Nils F., was one of the trainers during the 3-day event: “It is a pleasure to share my knowledge with trainees and a good feeling to pass on my own experiences to the local people, helping them to create their own Coast Guard.”

The Chief of Training at EUCap Nestor said: “One of the most challenging aspects is to create an understanding of the responsibility of the Coast Guard and the link between illegal fishing and piracy.”

Operation Atalanta has been involved in maintaining maritime security in the region since 2008.