The frigate ‘Santa Maria’, during its deployment in Operation Atalanta, has carried out anti-piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean, in the areas near Seychelles, Madagascar and the Mozambique Channel.
Among its main activities, the ‘Santa María’ has monitored the hijacking of a Chinese fishing boat that fell into the hands of armed Somali pirates at the beginning of December 2024, and which was released on 13 January. During this time, the Spanish frigate was in permanent contact with the competent authorities of Somalia and China with the aim of coordinating effective actions and responses to this crime at sea.
This collaboration underlines the mission’s ongoing commitment to maritime safety in the region, which aims to ensure the protection of trade routes and the safety of the crews of vessels fishing and transiting through Atalanta’s area of responsibility.
Likewise, during its deployment, the frigate interacts with World Food Programme ships, Spanish fishing boats and the general merchant community, which operate in the area of Basilisk and Abdoulah, where the latest pirate attacks were concentrated last year.
These attacks show that piracy is contained, thanks in part to the presence and activity of this mission, but not eradicated. In this way, the security of international maritime traffic on one of the most important trade routes in the world is preserved.
During the deployment, the ‘Santa Maria’ has also collaborated with navies and regional maritime security centres. In this context, the last exercise carried out with Kenyan Coast Guard and Navy officers stands out, which consisted of bunkering (refuelling) in the port of Mombasa.
Finally, the Spanish frigate has had the opportunity to call at Port Victoria (Seychelles) and Antisiranana (Madagascar), where it visited and strengthened ties with the Spanish fishing vessels that have their logistics base there.
The ‘Santa Maria’ has been the flagship of the European Union Naval Force (Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta) since its incorporation in October 2024 into this stability projection mission, whose objective is to collaborate in the eradication of acts of piracy and illicit trafficking in the waters of the Gulf of Aden.