Minehunter ‘Tajo’ to integrate into NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures Group.

Last Thursday, minehunter ‘Tajo’ (M-36) set sail from Cartagena to join NATO’s Standing Mine Countermeasures (MCM) Group, thus strengthening Spain’s commitment with the Atlantic Alliance and with international security and stability.

The ship will deploy after an intense training and readiness period to attain the necessary A2 operational certification level.

During the next months, the ‘Tajo’ will sail throughout the Mediterranean Sea engaged in mine countermeasures operations intended to warrant the freedom of navigation and contribute to support other ongoing operations. At the same time, the ship will participate in operation ‘Sea Guardian’ which fights illegal activities at sea and therefore secures the safety of national and international maritime areas.

For this mission the minehunter’s crew has been augmented with specialized MCM divers and health personnel, resulting in a 46-strong complement. Minehunters are dedicated ships in charge of detecting, classifying and neutralizing/destroying mines. To this end, the ‘Tajo’ boast a wide variety of technologically advanced assets like variable depth sonars and two remotely controlled vehicles.