Commander of EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta calls on President Faure |25 November 2017

President Danny Faure received a courtesy call from the Force Commander of EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Fabio Gregori, and his delegation yesterday afternoon.

His visit to the State House comes a day after an Italian navy frigate, ITS Virginio Fasan, transferred six suspected Somali pirates to the local authorities for prosecution.

The Somalians were caught 300 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia after allegedly attacking a Seychelles-flagged container ship as well as a fishing vessel on November 18 and November 19.

“We were able to locate them, apprehend them and cease the boats and all the equipment they had. And thanks to the transfer agreement between the government of Seychelles and the European Union (EU) to bring the suspects to justice, we successfully completed the hand-over,” Admiral Gregori provided.

He described Seychelles’ willingness to prosecute these sea-criminals acts as deterrence to piracy in the Indian Ocean waters.

In his interview with the press, the Admiral stated that his exchange with the President focused on the very good relationship which exists between the EU’s Naval Force Operation Atlanta (NAVFOR) and the Seychelles in combating piracy.

“Seychelles’ role in the battle against piracy is crucial because Seychelles is located in the heart of the piracy problem. Therefore Seychelles is a hub of action and it will soon host a center to coordinate the action of all the forces in the area and for information exchange,” he said.

With the security of the Indian Ocean being paramount to trade and well-being of countries in the region and in Europe, the Admiral added that constant vigilance is necessary because “piracy has been successfully suppressed but has not been eradicated”.

“The networks of pirates and organisations that support them are still alive, and they still have the capabilities to mount attacks in these waters. The action that happened a few days ago is a clear indication that we must not lower our guard.”

The EU Atalanta mandate is expected to end on December 2018 and discussions at the EU’s headquarters in Brussels have been scheduled for next week on the renewal of the mandate.