The European Union announced on Saturday that Spain has officially taken over command of “Operation Atalanta,” the EU’s naval mission tasked with combating piracy off the coast of Somalia.
Operation Atalanta is part of a broader international effort to secure maritime safety along Somalia’s strategic coastline, located in the Horn of Africa—a key route for global maritime trade.
According to a press statement from the mission, Spanish Admiral Francisco Javier Vázquez Sanz has assumed command of the operation, replacing outgoing Italian Admiral Davide Da Pozzo.
The official handover ceremony took place aboard the Italian naval vessel “Rizzo,” which was docked at the main port in Djibouti.
Launched in 2008, Operation Atalanta was established to protect commercial shipping and World Food Programme (WFP) vessels from pirate attacks in the Gulf of Aden and along Somalia’s coastline, one of the world’s most crucial maritime corridors.
