On Sunday 27 May EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Dutch frigate Van Amstel rendezvoused at sea with World Food Programme (WFP) chartered ship MV Caroline Scan to re-supply the Dutch protection team onboard – known as an Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment or AVPD .
The Dutch AVPD, which consists of armed marines and a medical team, protects the humanitarian food of the WFP as it transits the waters off the Somali coast. The AVPD sails under the flag of the European Union counter piracy mission – Operation Atalanta.
The use of AVPDs to protect WFP shipping is paramount for the EU NAVFOR as it allows greater flexibility in the use of the warships in the fight against piracy, whilst guaranteeing the security of WFP shipments. M/V Caroline Scan regularly transports tonnes of food for the World Food Programme from Mombasa (Kenya) and Mogadishu to Bosaso and Berbera.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff , May 29, 2012; Image: eunavfor