The French frigate FS Floreal has joined EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), patrolling the waters off the Horn of Africa and Gulf of Aden. She rejoins EU NAVFOR Operation Atalanta for a third time, having previously operated within the Task Force in both 2010 and 2011.
FS FLOREAL is a light surveillance frigate based on the French island “La Réunion”. She is 93.5 meters long, and has a displacement of 2950 tonnes when fully loaded. She has a crew of just under 100 and is equipped with a Panther helicopter.
Operation Atalanta is a counter-piracy mission operating in the area of the Gulf of Aden, the Horn of Africa and into the Indian Ocean. It is mandated to:
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, October 22, 2012; Image: EU Navfor