In view of the international efforts to combat Maritime piracy, Malta is considering the option of increasing its contribution to Operation Atlanta - the European Union anti-piracy mission off the Somali coast. This was announced after the European Union’s decision to extend the operation for another two years, until the end of 2014.
Among the contributions considered is the sending of another Maltese vessel protection detachment.
The EU’s Atlanta Operation commenced in 2008 to curb piracy off Somalia’s coast and secure the safe passage of vessels used by the African Union peacekeeping mission in Somalia.
Since the beginning of the operation at the end of 2008, Malta has contributed to the operation through deployment of Maltese soldiers to the operation’s headquarters and has sent troops to serve on vessels in action in the troubled area.
This news comes as the European Union has announced that it will extend its anti-piracy program to secure United Nations food shipments to Somalia aimed at providing more than 1.5 million with assistance.
In an effort to combat piracy, the EU has announced that it will begin a program to help East African nations improve maritime security through a Regional Maritime Capacity Building program. The program will cover Somalia, Kenya, Tanzania, Djibouti, Seychelles and Mauritius. The aim of the program is the enabling of policy and judiciary to handle the piracy problem.
The EU has also announced its intention of signing a pirate-transfer agreement with Tanzania to allow the EU to hand over suspected pirates captured at sea to Tanzanian authorities.
