MPs visit EU anti piracy ship

Last week, a delegation of Dutch MPs from the House of Representatives visited the Dutch marine frigate The Seven Provinces (De Zeven Provinciën) off Africa's coast. The marine ship is part of a counter-piracy operation named Atlanta currently active off the Somali coast. Operation Atlanta is in the area to protect vulnerable shipments and to monitor fishing activity in the regional seaboard, according to the EU Naval Force Somalia (NAVFOR)'s PA office. House of Representatives President, Anouchka van Miltenburg and several other faction presidents were led around by commander of the armed forces Middendorp and were briefed on the role of the soldiers. The politicians met with Tanzania's President of the Parliament before being led around the ship. The activity was kept silent. The group departed last Monday and have since already returned to The Netherlands. "It is standard to keep these kinds of visits quiet, because the soldiers are not there because nothing is wrong", said Van Miltenburg on the NOS Radio 1 Journaal.