At the end of February the Luxembourg Maritime patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) Detachment returned to the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta counter piracy mission, having taken over MPRA duties from the Swedish Coast Guard MPRA unit operating from the Seychelles.
During their previous deployments with EU NAVFOR, the two Luxembourg MERLIN IIIC Maritime Patrol Aircraft flew a total of 775 missions, totaling 4,500 flying hours. These important missions combined counter piracy sea searches, information gathering, and vessel escorts.
In their previous deployment the MERLIN IIIC MPRAs were involved in over 50 maritime incidents; including the detection of Pirate Action Groups at sea, guiding EU NAVFOR, and other counter piracy forces towards suspicious activity,as well as providing valuable imagery of piracy related incidents.
The acting detachment commander stated: ‘We are very pleased to have returned to the EU Naval Force mission. All members of the Luxembourg detachment recognise the importance of contributing to the overall counter piracy effort in the Somali Basin.’
[mappress] Naval Today Staff, February 26, 2013; Image: EU Navfor