EUNAVFOR Provides Support to Tanzanian Navy in Combating Piracy

On June 25, Force Commander Rear Admiral Dupuis visited the headquarters of the Tanzanian Navy to meet General Omar, Commander of the Navy.

Tanzania faces the scourge of piracy off its coasts and is therefore intrinsically concerned. Its navy works daily in Tanzanian territorial waters to combat piracy. Regular meetings and sharing of knowledge between EU forces and the maritime authorities has been discussed. Additionally the operation led by EUNAVFOR Spanish patrol ship Infanta Elena on April 18 was a topic of interest. The operation led to the release of Sri Lankan fishermen, whose dhow was used to carry out attacks on merchant vessels. The Tanzanian authorities supported the Sri Lankan fishermen before they returned home and had arrested some of the pirates, who separated from the group a few days before.

That same day was also the opportunity to welcome on board Tanzanian journalists for a situational analysis of piracy delivered by the EUNAVFOR Force Commander Rear Admiral Dupuis. HE Mr. Filiberto Ceriani Sebregondi, Head of Delegation of the European Union, and Mr. Marcel Escure, ambassador of France, also spoke about the comprehensive approach in the fight against piracy, and more generally to resolve the Somali crisis.

To foster links between the EU mission, other key players in the fight against piracy and the wider maritime world, were welcomed aboard the Marne, notably involving the embassies of many European countries but also the U.S. and Russia, the maritime and port authorities, and local officials of the World Food Programme.

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Naval Today Staff, July 4, 2012; Image: Eunavfor