The German ships continued on to call at Buenos Aires, Montevideo, Mar del Plata and Recife.

[2] In June 1996 Emden was active in the Adriatic Sea as part of NATO's Operation Sharp Guard, the maritime blockade of the former Yugoslavia during the Yugoslav Wars.

[2] During Emden's 2008 deployment in support of Operation Enduring Freedom, which lasted from 12 February to 8 July, the frigate was active off the Horn of Africa.

[6][7] During the night of 23 to 24 April Emden escorted the sailing ship Star Clipper, after she was approached by several suspicious speedboats.

The Emden provided emergency water, food, fuel and first aid equipment, and the services of a medical team.

During the course of the voyage she would have passed close to the location where the earlier SMS Emden, a cruiser of the Imperial German Navy, had been sunk in 1914.

The voyage was cancelled when Emden was instead assigned to transit the Suez Canal to take part in Operation Atalanta, the EU's anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa.

[13] In 2013 Emden participated in the navy's annual training voyage (Einsatz- und Ausbildungsverband [de]), before returning to Wilhelmshaven, where she was removed from active service on 15 June 2013, and formally decommissioned by Fregattenkapitän Hendrik Hülsmann on 29 November 2013.