4th Croatian AVPD team returns from Operation Atalanta

(Photo credit: HRM/ D. Mišić)

ZAGREB, Nov 7 (Hina) – Members of the Croatian Navy, who participated in the EU Navfor Atalanta mission as an Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment team (AVPD), returned from Somalia to Split on Friday evening, the Croatian Defence Ministry stated in a press release.

This detachment team, which was deployed in the mission in the last five months, was welcomed by the Navy Commander, Rear Admiral Ivo Raffanelli, in Resnik Airport in Split.

Croatia has been participating in Operation Atalanta, formally European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, since  2014. The EU NAVFOR Somalia was launched in 2008 to protect ships transporting food from the World Food Programme (WFP) to Somalia which frequently fell victim to pirates.