Operation Atalanta
June 15, 2009
EU foreign ministers approved the extension of Operation Atalanta without discussion and well in advance in an effort to leave time to look for more forces for the mission.
In a joint statement, EU ministers agreed that "piracy off the coast of Somalia is likely to remain a serious threat."
The extension was made now because "early agreement on extending the operation would facilitate the necessary force generation."
International navies have deployed dozens of warships around the Gulf of Aden over the past year in a attempt to curb attacks by pirates threatening the busy maritime trade route.
Operation Atalanta currently consists of 14 ships and three aircraft. The German contribution consists of a total of 650 personnel, two warships, one supply ship and one reconnaissance plane.
The German frigate Brandenburg left the port of Wilhelmshaven on Monday to relieve one of the vessels already in the Gulf of Aden.
The parliamentary mandate for German forces deployed on the mission expires at the end of 2009. It is not yet clear whether that mandate will be extended to allow for further involvement now that Atalanta has been prolonged.
The EU mission, which draws on forces from Germany, Belgium, Britain, France, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden, has been operational since December 2008.
Naval officers at the mission's headquarters in Northwood, London, say Atalanta forces have arrested about 70 pirates so far. They have also escorted 28 ships chartered by the World Food Program on aid delivery missions throughout the region.
sje/AP/AFP/Reuters
Editor: Susan Houlton