They are intended to support German naval units away from their home ports.

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

[1] Elbe had moved from its home base in Rostock-Warnemünde to Kiel on 14 July 2016 to join forces with the Sakala from Estonia and Skalvis from Lithuania.

On 18 July, the ships then set sail together for the Baltic Sea to later join the standing NATO mine countermeasures group SNMCMG 1 (Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1).

The tender Elbe is now the operations center for the international task force.