The patrol ship stopped at the port of Luanda on Monday, where it will remain until Friday, the French ambassador to Angola, Daniel Vosgien, informed this Wednesday.
The diplomat said that the ship's stopover takes place after another one he carried out in June 2022, within the scope of the "Corymbe" mission, which was created more than 30 years ago for the French navy, consisting of a permanent presence in the Gulf of Guinea and off the coast of West Africa.
The French ambassador stressed that the patrol vessel is present in the Gulf of Guinea with several objectives, namely the fight against maritime piracy, pollution, illegal fishing and help for ships.
"There are trainings organized to reinforce the response capacity of the countries participating in the Gulf of Guinea cooperation in the face of maritime security threats, to guarantee safe navigation, as well as the operationalization of the land structures of the maritime security of the Gulf of Guinea, which are parts of of the Yaoundé agreements", said the French diplomat.
In turn, the captain of the patrol ship, Aurelien de Gove, said that the "Corymbe" operation is not only aimed at combating piracy, but all threats that may affect the Gulf of Guinea.
"It is a balanced partnership with our local partners, to improve and develop our interoperability", stressed Aurelien de Gove, noting that the joint patrol exercises will also allow the carrying out of joint operations.
This mission, added the commander of the patrol ship, is also part of the coordinated maritime mission of the European Union, which also includes the navies of Portugal, Spain and Italy, with the permanent presence of the French navy in the Gulf of Guinea.
"We have just participated in an exercise with the navies of Gabon, the Republic of Congo, the Democratic Republic of Congo and Angola", he highlighted.
During the visit, some rescue equipment was donated to the Associação de Pesca Artesanal, Semi Industrial e Industrial (Apasil), namely flashlights, life jackets, lifebuoys and horns, a donation from the command of the Atlantic strip of the French Navy (Ceclant).
