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A new Estonian ship protection team set out on Friday to serve aboard a French frigate as part of the European Union's anti-piracy operation Atalanta.
New Estonian ship protection team heads out on mission
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The chief of the Estonian Navy, Lt. Cmdr. Sten Sepper, wished the team fair seas and a following wind at the farewell ceremony in Tallinn's Mine Harbor.
The team, the fifth such unit provided by Estonia, will serve on the French Navy's frigate Le Courbet. The mission of the 10-strong unit under 1st Ltn. Indrek Reinbach will last till mid-May. A previous Estonian ship protection team served on the same French warship and the commander of the new team has participated in the same mission earlier.
Operation Atalanta was undertaken by the EU primarily in order to protect Somalia-bound vessels and shipments belonging to the African Union Mission in Somalia and the World Food Program, prevent and combat acts of piracy, and fight organized crime. The Estonian Navy has been taking part in the operation since the second half of 2010.
Germany has proposed to Estonia to contribute a ship protection team to NATO's standing maritime group SNMG1 for the anti-terrorism operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean. The unit is to be formed of troops recently returned from Operation Atalanta. Its dispatch has to be authorized by parliament.