Multinationl naval exercise underway in Gulf of Guinea

Brussels, Belgium (PANA) - A multinational naval exercise dubbed ‘Obangama Express 2018' is underway in the Gulf of Guinea, with the participation of 30 nations, aiming to thwart piracy, illegal traffic and other maritime threats, said an official communique issued here on Wednesday.

The exercise, covering a large area of the Atlantic Ocean, began Tuesday and is due to close on 29 March, involving navies of Angola, Senegal, Belgium, Brazil, Benin, France and Germany among other nations.

It is under the command of Captain Eric Conzen of the U.S. Navy and Lieutenant-Commander Ghislain Moussavou of the Gabonese maritime force, according to the communiqué issued by the US Embassy in Belgium on Wednesday.

It said Obangame Express 2018 has brought together maritime forces from Africa, Europe, Latin America and the United-States in a bid to improve their expertise and capacity on large range maritime security operations.

-0- PANA AK/IS/MSA/AR 22March2018