The ships carry fuel, provisions, ammunition and other matériel and also provide medical services.

The European Council decision and a parliamentary green light, the German Navy dispatched the frigate Hessen and Berlin to provide a presence north of Libyan territorial waters.

Hessen and Berlin joined many other European Union vessels, which ranged from warships to auxiliary and coast guard ships to form EU NAVFOR MEDL.

[3] The Spanish frigate Cristóbal Colón conducted a boarding exercise aboard Berlin during Baltic Operations (BALTOPS) 2019.

[4] On 2 April 2020, Berlin set off to the Aegean Sea from Wilhelmshaven with Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to join Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2).