The offshore patrol vessel ‘Vigía’ starts her African deployment.

The ‘Vigía’ (P-73) deploys towards the Gulf of Guinea to contribute to the necessary maritime security which must be provided to the transport of natural and material resources to Spain.

The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Vigía’ (P-73) has just departed towards the western African coast for a 4-month deployment.

The P-73 will perform surveillance and maritime security tasks to protect key resources transported towards Spain in those troubled waters. The increase of piracy and robberies at sea in that area points toward greater risks for the national fishing fleet operating in the region.

This African deployment furthermore contributes to enhance the military capabilities of regional countries based on the principles of dialogue and military cooperation, conducting bilateral activities to ensure international maritime security.

During this deployment, the Spanish Navy personnel on board will advise their African counterparts in matters related to the ‘awareness of the maritime domain’, to ‘maritime security’ and other issues like fire-fighting, damage control and diving activities.

The P-73 is scheduled to visit the ports of Nouadhibou (Mauritania), Praia (Cape Verde), Lomé (Togo), Lagos (Nigeria), Pointe Noire (Republic of Congo), Luanda (Angola) and Dakar (Senegal).

The Spanish contingent is made up of 52 people led by lieutenant commander Javier García Monge and includes the ship’s own crew, a Marine Corps VPD (vessel protection detachment), an interpreter, a medical doctor and a diving instructor.

About the offshore patrol vessel ‘Vigía’

The OPV ‘Vigía’ is the third Spanish Navy ship with that name. She was delivered to the Navy in March 1993 and so far the ship has sailed more than 424,000 nautical miles, the equivalent of 30 round-the-world voyages. To date, the P-73 has been a total of 3,044 days at sea; that is to say, more than 8 years.