OPV ‘Centinela’ headed for Africa.

Last August 16th the offshore patrol vessel ‘Centinela’ set sail from her homeport in Ferrol (NW Spain) to start a deployment in West Africa and the Gulf of Guinea.

The farewell ceremony was presided over by the Commanding Officer of the Maritime Action Force in Ferrol, Navy Captain José Fernando Suárez.

With this deployment the Spanish Navy ship intends to participate and enhance maritime security issues in the area, improving the capabilities of regional armed forces with activities of military cooperation and cooperative security. The purpose of these activities is to strengthen the capabilities of those nations to successfully challenge the existing threats like piracy, and illegal fishing and immigration, which can also affect the interests of Spain.

During this four-month deployment in Africa, the OPV ‘Centinela’ will support the Defense Diplomacy Plan, a series of international activities based on dialogue and cooperation which the Spanish Ministry of Defense regularly carries out at bilateral level with allied and partner nations to foster the implementation of defense policy objectives like conflicts prevention or the strengthening of security capabilities.