Spanish warship ESPS Victoria, part of Operation Atalanta, carried out counter-piracy training with the Seychelles Air Force on November 7, 2015.
The first training exercise saw ESPS Victoria acting as a merchant vessel that was under attack from pirates. The pirates were in fact some of the Spanish crew on board one of their fast rigid hull inflatable boats (RHIB).
During this exercise, ESPS Victoria simulated a distress call, which was picked up by the Seychelles Air Force, who answered the call and took control of the situation.
A second training exercise took place on Monday November 9, with the Seychelles Maritime Patrol Aircraft conducting a surface search for a vessel that had been reported by ESPS Victoria as acting suspiciously and trying to avoid detection. Again the ship’s crew were acting as the suspected pirates in their RHIB.
Operation Atalanta regularly trains with regional states to develop the counter-piracy and maritime security procedures in the region which covers the Southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and a large part of the Indian Ocean, including the Seychelles, Mauritius and Comoros. The area of operations also includes the Somali coastal territory, as well as its territorial and internal waters.
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Image: EUNAVFOR