It was a great privileged to be awarded the new contract for the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) recently. Visiting the Naval base and signing the deal with the Operations Commander was a great experience, I really felt like I was in a James Bond film. The Forces of Operation Atalanta deter, prevent and repress acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast. So it’s a very serious business and it was an absolute pleasure working with the media team at EU NAVFOR. One of my favourite contributions that we made to this project was providing the team with a brilliant new dynamic Key Facts & Figures tool.
EU Naval Force protects vessels of the World Food Programme (WFP) delivering aid to displaced persons in Somalia and the protection of African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) shipping. EU NAVFOR Operation ATALANTA was launched on 8 December 2008 and is conducted in accordance with United Nations Security Council’s resolutions. The Operation has been extended by the European Council until December 2014.
The European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) counter-piracy mission – Operation Atalanta is a key element of the EU’s Comprehensive Approach to bring about a stable and prosperous Somalia.The Operational Headquarters for EU NAVFOR based in Northwood, London, UK is the first source of information for over 27 Member States who contribute to the counter piracy mission. It is also a key source of information for the Maritime Shipping Industry who transit the Horn of Africa, together with the International Media, who view EU NAVFOR as a trusted and reliable source of information.Information provided by EU NAVFOR impacts not only Member States decision makers, but also the perceptions of piracy held by the International Media and those with an interest in countering piracy off the coast of Somalia.With the increasing demands for 24 hour news, including Social Media, information has to be provided by EU NAVFOR to the public in an accurate, timely manner. The Internet Dreams Studio team were given a comprehensive set of requirements to meet our communications challenges and they did not at any time disappoint. With an abundance of IT acumen and flair, the Internet Dreams Studio team listened and perfectly understood the broad list of requirements - they then delivered them in a creative, clear and user friendly way.The EU NAVFOR website has already attracted a number of positive comments from the EU NAVFOR Command Group and Member State officers alike. Ever reliable, and approachable, the Internet Dreams Studio team have proven to be the right IT partners. The EU NAVFOR Operational Headquarters are happy to recommend Internet Dreams Studio to other governmental or military operations.
Lt Cdr Jacqueline Sherriff MBE Royal Navy, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Spokesperson
