The Northern Coasts 2014 (NOCO14) exercise commenced in late August and is set to continue until September 11. In addition to Finnish Army and Air Force units, exercise assets include aircraft from Germany, Denmark, Sweden, and the United States. The Finnish Air Force has assigned a single Boeing
Under a blanket of police security and the watchful eyes of the crews of the two escorting RN P2000 craft, HMS Biter and HMS Express, the Latvian Navy’s Tripartite-class minehunter Viesturs, sailed into Cardiff Docks. The first of six warships, she will be joined over the next two days by ships fr
NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) welcomed aboard its new Deputy Commander (DCOM), Vice Admiral Bruno Paulmier (FRA N), on September 1. Vice Admiral Paulmier brings a wealth of command operational experience to his posting as DCOM MARCOM. His command tours afloat include command of the light f
The Spanish Navy’s patrol vessel ‘Tarifa’ yesterday started a journey from Cartagena towards the waters of the Cantabrian Sea and Gran Sol to participate in two fisheries inspection campaigns lasting for 40 days. First, it will take part in the “Pelagic” campaign, framed within the JDP EFCA (Europ
Lady Boyce, the wife of former First Sea Lord and Chief of Defence Staff Admiral of the Fleet the Lord Boyce, has accepted the invitation to be the tanker’s sponsor – acting as “the embodiment of her spirit, forging a close relations with both the vessel and her crew” following every milestone in th
On Tuesday 2 September the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, welcomed the Commander of the Japanese Escort Task Group, Captain Tsutomu Okawa, on board the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria. Both ships are conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese Es
Personnel and ships from across the Royal UK Navy, Royal Marines and Royal Fleet Auxiliary gathered in Bournemouth at the weekend to help make the town’s air festival a flyaway success. Five Royal Navy and Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels – Her Majesty’s ships Westminster, Mersey, Smiter and Puncher
On Saturday 30 August, EU Naval Force warship BNS Leopold I conducted their first friendly approach with two Yemeni fishing vessels. Having sighted the vessels at sea with approximately 15 men, women and children on board, the warship’s Boarding Party was dispatched to investigate the situation. O
The bomb disposal team of the Spanish Mine Countermeasures Divers Unit (UBMCM) disposed of three hand grenades found off the coast of Tarragona, Spain. A diver located the bombs off Forti de la Reina, on Saturday, in a depth of about 3.5 meters. After the Civil Guard alerted the Operations Center
Thousands of Royal UK Navy, Royal Marine and Royal Fleet Auxiliary personnel have left the UK for an annual exercise in the Mediterranean and Gulf regions. Two Royal Navy warships, the Lead Commando Group from 3 Commando Brigade Royal Marines (40 Commando) and elements of Naval Air Squadrons, toge
Admiralty Shipyards, part of the United Shipbuilding Corporation, launched the “Stary Oskol” of project 636.3, third in the series diesel-electric submarines being built for the Russian Navy. The ceremony was attended by Chief of the Russian Navy, Admiral Viktor Chirkov, vice-president of JSC “Uni
QinetiQ has been awarded a contract by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) to carry out additional research into generating quality situational awareness to enable the coordination of the defence of a vessel against the surface threat posed by small boats. Dstl has a developed a p
