The oceanic patrol vessel ‘Rayo’ set sail to integrate in operation ‘Atalanta’

The oceanic patrol vessel (BAM in its Spanish initials) ‘Rayo’ with home port in Las Palmas (Canary Islands), set sail last Monday to participate in Operation ‘Atalanta’ to fight piracy in the Indian Ocean.

The farewell ceremony on board the ‘Rayo’ was presided over by the Fleet Commander, Admiral Santiago Bolíbar accompanied by the Maritime Action Admiral, Salvador Delgado, the Marine Corps Commandant, General Jesús Manuel Vicente and the Canary Islands Naval Command Admiral, Manuel de la Puente.

This is the second deployment of the ‘Rayo’ in operation ‘Atalanta’. The first mission lasted five months and this deployment is scheduled to last six months.

Operation ‘Atalanta’

This deployment is as part of the Spanish commitment with this EU mission which started in 2008 to fight piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Somalia protecting commercial shipping and trawlers working in the area.

The oceanic patrol vessel ‘Rayo’ is the second unit of the ‘Meteoro’-class OPVs and is under the command of Lt-Cdr Rafael Samaniego.

The ship has a complement of 84 people, including her own crew, support personnel of the embarked AB-212 helicopter and a Marine Corps security squad.