On 30 November 2014 Royal Netherlands Navy warship, HNLMS Van Speijk and Belgian Navy warship, BNS Leopold I, completed their tour of duty with the EU Naval Force off the coast of Somalia. HNLMS Van Speijk joined the EU Naval Force on 24th August and during the last three months she has completed a
Over the past few weeks, the EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Navarra, has carried out several friendly approaches to fishing dhows off the northern coast of Somalia. After sighting several fishing dhows, the Spanish frigate established communications with the masters. After a short conversation, the Ma
This week the crew of a Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) P-3 Orion from the Royal New Zealand Defence Force (NZDF) completed their support to NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD (OOS) Task Force 508 (CTF-508). Between 13 and 30 November, the NATO partner nation’s detachment of more than 50 cr
A small team of U.S. Coast Guardsmen joined forces with Marine Corps 1st Lt. Brian Elender, from SPMAGTF Crisis Response-Africa, to work alongside service members of the Nigerian Navy for a training engagement that will began in December. Illicit and uncontrolled activities, including trafficking, p
The Republic of Madagascar welcomed the EU Naval Force German frigate, FGS Luebeck, and her crew in to the port of Antsiranana on Monday, 24 November. As a German warship has not visited Madagascar for some time, the German Ambassador, His Excellency Harald Gehrig and FGS Lubeck’s Commanding Officer
Royal Navy helicopters have flown more than 10,000 miles over Sierra Leone in the fight against Ebola. In their first month in West Africa, the Merlins of 820 Naval Air Squadron have covered the length and breadth of the small republic supporting Britain’s efforts on the ground to halt the spread of
During their recent port visit to Dar es Salaam, the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria conducted Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) training with personnel from the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force. The training included briefings on the procedures for handling Improvised Explosive Devi
On Tuesday 25 November the outgoing 20th Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft Contingent held a Transfer of Authority (TOA) ceremony with the 21st Contingent team to hand over their counter-piracy duties in the Horn of Africa. The ceremony took place at the French Air Base in Djibouti. The military cere
VIDEO: Canada Marks Modernization of the Halifax-Class Frigates The Honourable Rob Nicholson, P.C., Q.C., M.P. for Niagara Falls and Minister of Canadian National Defence, yesterday announced the successful modernization of the first four Halifax-Class frigates. TenCate Advanced Armour to Support
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, visited the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu, at the IMO headquarters in London on Wednesday 26 November. Meeting to discuss the current situation off the Horn of Africa
East African nations have a significant challenge ahead. The past few years have seen an encouraging decline in the volume of maritime piracy incidents that once dominated headlines with tales of hostage taking and freight ship hijacking, particularly in the Gulf of Aden and further south into the S
Royal Navy helicopters have delivered essential materials to Northern Sierra Leone as the part of the UK’s ongoing efforts to tackle Ebola. Responding to a United Nations World Food Programme (WFP) request, a Merlin helicopter from 820 Naval Air Squadron lifted urgent supplies for a support camp to
