On 04 March, during a port visit to Djibouti by the European Union Naval Force flagship, ESPS Méndez Núnez, her crew welcomed on board a group of ten members of the Djiboutian Coast Guard in order to conduct training exercises.
The purpose of the visit was to conduct training for the Djiboutian Coast Guard on fire-fighting and damage control on board, and elements of ship navigation. After being briefed by members of the ship’s company, the ten members of the Djiboutian Coast Guard were able to put what they had learnt in to practice.
These Local Maritime Capacity Building training exercises are conducted in close co-operation and co-ordination with the EU mission EUCAP NESTOR which, along with EU NAVFOR, forms a part of the EU’s Comprehensive Approach to piracy off Somalia. EUCAP Nestor is a civilian mission aimed at strengthening the Rule of Law in Somalia, with an initial focus on the regions of Puntland and Somaliland, and developing the maritime capacities of Djibouti, Kenya, and the Seychelles.
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, March 8, 2013; Image: EUNAVFOR