( CNN ) -- The European Union will launch its first naval operation Tuesday , protecting vessels from pirate attacks off the coast of Somalia , EU policy chief Javier Solana announced Monday . A French army helicopter taking off from French frigate Nivose , on patrol in the Gulf of Aden . EU foreign ministers approved the mission during their regular meeting in Brussels on Monday . Solana said the operation is `` very important '' because EU vessels will be operating `` in a place in the world that everybody 's looking at because of the new problems related to piracy . '' `` It 's very important that we have taken that decision to launch it tomorrow , '' he added . The EU naval force will take over the role of escorting United Nations World Food Program vessels carrying food and relief supplies to war-torn Somalia , an EU news release said . Its mandate , which is spelled out in several U.N. Security Council resolutions , also will include `` the protection of vulnerable vessels cruising off the Somali coast , and the deterrence , prevention and repression of acts of piracy and armed robbery off the Somali coast , '' the news release stated . The deployment follows a decision by the European Council in September that established a coordination cell that supported surveillance and protection operations by several member states off the Somali coast . Piracy has become increasingly common in that area this year , particularly in the Gulf of Aden . So far , pirates have attacked almost 100 vessels off Somalia 's coast and successfully hijacked nearly 40 , according to the International Maritime Bureau . Those hijacked vessels include an enormous oil tanker , a chemical tanker , and a ship laden with Soviet-era arms , including tanks . The pirates normally hold the ships for ransom . The Somali-based pirates have extended their reach beyond Somalia 's coastline . On Saturday , a Dutch-operated container ship outran pirates off the coast of Tanzania , an IMB official told CNN . A luxury cruise ship carrying more than 1,000 passengers and crew successfully outran pirates off the coast of Yemen last weekend . A multinational fleet -- including vessels from the United States , NATO member states , Russia and India -- has been patrolling the Indian Ocean waters near the Gulf of Aden , which connects the Red Sea and the Arabian Sea . Around 20,000 oil tankers , freighters and merchant vessels pass along the crucial shipping route each year . In a recent interview provided to CNN , a pirate leader claimed attacks on shipping would continue so long as life in Somalia remained desperate . `` The pirates are living between life and death , '' said the pirate leader , identified by only one name , Boyah . `` Who can stop them ? Americans and British all put together can not do anything . ''
EU force will take over the role of escorting U.N. World Food Program vessels . Role includes `` protection of vulnerable vessels cruising off the Somali coast '' Pirates have attacked almost 100 vessels off Somalia 's coast this year . Warships from U.S. , India , Russia and Malaysia also patrol region .