Operation ATALANTA
KNM Fridtjof Nansen is authorised to participate for 6 months in Operation ATALANTA, the EU’s counter-piracy operation in Somalia. The ship joined the operation in August 2009.
Operation ATALANTA has a one-year mandate to prevent pirate activities outside the coast of Somalia. Pirate activities are seen as a threat to international peace and stability and moreover ATLANTA protect World Food Programme and other vulnerable deliveries. A total of 18 ships participate in the operation, which has its own defined area for EU-ships.
KNM Fridtjof Nansen
KNM Fridtjof Nansen has participated in the escort of AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) deliveries from Mombasa to Mogadishu, prevented a pirate attack east of Dar Es Salaam and disarmed pirates outside the coast of Somalia.
As one of the new frigates ordered from Spain KNM Fridtjof Nansen is the first seagoing of a total of five new ships. KNM Fridtjof Nansen is very modern and operate according to the principle of balance between technology and crew, where about half the amount of a traditional crew for such a ship is removed, to about 120 people. KNM Fridtjof Nansen functions just as well in cold or warm waters. A modern hospital with surgery facilities, a surgeon, anaesthetist, two nurses and a prison for four people are found on the ship. Also, special forces and interpreters speaking Somali and Arabic are placed on the ship.
Ambassador Kjemprud was impressed by the operative capacities of the naval ship and said - I strongly believed that the captain and his ship would tackle the challenges of piracy in the Inida Ocean and the Gulf of Aden and thus contribute to peace, while underlining the need to carefully study and appreciate local geopolitical and cultural issues. I therefore appreciate the outreach programme of ATALANTA and of Fridtjof Nansen.
KNM Fridtjof Nansen is named after Fridtjof Nansen, the Norwegian scientist, explorer and humanitarian. The ship is unofficially considered as the flag ship of the Royal Norwegian Navy.