Pedro Morenés visits Spanish servicemen combating illegal people trafficking in the Mediterranean

During his visit, Pedro Morenés addressed a few words to the vessel's crew in which he firstly expressed his condolences at the terrible tragedy in Paris in which Spaniards also died. He also highlighted the extraordinary value of the human element in this humanitarian disaster with a historical element. He also stressed three essential points: security, complying with the mission's goals and the commitments acquired by Spain.

Furthermore, Pedro Morenés also highlighted that the work of the Spanish servicemen serves to enhance Spain's image around the world.

On 12 November, the frigate 'Canarias' rescued 112 immigrants on an inflatable vessel 20 miles from its position and a week earlier the frigate took part in the rescue of another 517 people.

Frigate 'Canarias'

The frigate 'Canarias' set sail on 1 October from Rota Naval Base to join up to Operation EUNAVFORMED 'SOPHIA' as from 5 October 2015. It is due to be deployed for 120 days.

The vessel has a total crew of 201 people (21 officers, 40 non-commissioned officers and 140 marines and troops) including the flight crew of an SH-60B helicopter on board and a security detail of marines. There are a total of 25 women on board (1 officer, 4 non-commissioned officers and 20 marines and troops). Worthy of mention is the presence of an officer from the British Navy on an exchange programme.

The mission of the 'Canarias' is to contribute to dismantling illegal people trafficking networks that act in the Central Mediterranean, by intercepting vessels engaged in people trafficking.

Visit to the Grappa detachment

On Sunday, the Minister for Defence visited the Grappa detachment of the Spanish Air Force located at Sigonella Air Base in Sicily.

This detachment is patrolling the waters of the Southern Mediterranean with a P3 Orion aircraft to identify and capture suspicious vessels used in trafficking migrants and smuggling activities. This aircraft provides the greatest capabilities for the search and location of vessels thanks to its autonomy, and its range and means of detection.

The Grappa detachment has been operating out of Sigonella Air Base in Sicily since 13 September. Its mission is to control the illegal trafficking of emigrants in the Central Mediterranean within the framework of Operation EUNAVFOR MED. It is equipped with a P3 Orion aircraft from Group 22 of maritime surveillance based at Moron Air Base.

It is comprised of 45 servicemen, the majority from Group 22 of the Air Force based in Moron de la Frontera. Moreover, it has representatives from the Medical Air Unit to Support Deployment (Spanish acronym: UMAAD) with Role 1 capabilities, an Economics Management team (Spanish acronym: DAE), an Air Control Mobile Group (Spanish acronym: GRUMOCA), the Second Air Squadron for Aerial Deployment (Spanish acronym: SEADA) tasked with managing, advising and supporting the force chief from the Logistics Centre for Weapons and Testing (Spanish acronym: CLAEX), in the management and command of the detachment.