The Dutch warship HNLMS Johan de Wit, which has an AFM detachment on board, has successfully deterred pirates from operating from a camp on the Somali coast after blocking access to the sea.

The Johan de Wit forms part of the European Union Naval Force Somalia and is taking part in Operation Atlanta.

Under orders from the Swedish EU NAVFOR Force headquarters ship Carlskrona, the Johan de Witt was positioned off the Somali coast to provide surveillance and reconnaissance while restricting and interdicting pirate movements.

NAVFOR said the Johan de Wit had very effectively denied pirates' access to the high sea at a time when worsening weather conditions was making pirate operations increasingly more difficult.

Operation Atlanta's main tasks are to escort merchant vessels carrying humanitarian aid of the World Food Programme (WFP) and vessels of African Union Mission in Somalia and to protect vulnerable vessels in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean.

EU NAVFOR also monitors fishing activity off the coast of Somalia.

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