Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose arrived in Bahrain on April 3 to start a three-year mission in the Persian Gulf state. Montrose sailed into the UK’s new support facility in Bahrain after a six-month journey, which saw her cover 47,000-miles from her home in Plymouth. From Bahrain, she will conduct r
US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55 and commercial shipping industry representatives joined forces recently to complete exercise Lucky Mariner 19. The annual exercise concluded March 15 and was led by the task force’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) detachment designed to exercise comma
US Navy mine countermeasures ship USS Devastator (MCM 6) experienced a fire aboard while it was pierside at Naval Support Activity (NSA) Bahrain on March 14. The navy said there were no personnel injuries, adding that the extent of the damage is being assessed. Sailors aboard Devastator, USS Sentry
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri officially started construction of the first of two Qatari Navy offshore patrol vessels in a ceremony at its Muggiano shipyard on February 27. The two OPVs will be built as part of a larger, 4 billion euro, contract which will see Finantieri deliver a total of seven s
Abu Dhabi Ship Building has signed a memorandum of understanding with Italy’s Leonardo to step up cooperation in the naval sector at the IDEX International Defence Exhibition in Abu Dhabi. The new MoU will see the two sides collaborate to create a combat management system (CMS) integration laborator
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Ballarat has seized more than 2.1 tonnes of hashish and 345 kilograms of heroin in two boarding operations in the Arabian Sea. The Australian Navy said the seizures were worth approximately AU$105 million and AU$103.5 million respectively. The interceptions took pl
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) seized close to 5 tons of narcotics from a stateless vessel in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden on January 24. Chung-Hoon’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team conducted a flag verification boarding and seized 4,700 kilo
The US Navy has identified Chief Cryptologic Technician (Interpretive) Shannon M. Kent, 35, as one of the victims of the January 16 attack in Manbij, Syria. ISIS claimed responsibility for the explosion which killed four Americans and 15 others in front of a restaurant. The US defense department fur
Frigates, destroyers and an aircraft carrier from four nations are currently underway in the Persian Gulf as part of the annual, multinational exercise Intrepid Sentinel 2019. The multilateral exercise is designed to increase capability and interoperability between the four nations. According to pho
Kratos Defense & Security Solutions announced it has been awarded a follow on task order (TO) to provide training-related products and services in a variety of disciplines to the Royal Saudi Naval Forces (RSNF), the Naval Force of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. Awarded by the Naval Air Warfare Center
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) seized almost five tons of hashish from a dhow in the Gulf of Aden on December 27. According to the US Navy, the destroyer made the interception during a flag verification boarding as part of maritime security operations in the region. “We h
Anzac-class frigate HMAS Ballarat seized over 900 kilos of heroin in two separate interceptions in the Middle East, the Royal Australian Navy has announced. In two boarding operations on December 21 and 23, the frigate’s crew seized approximately AU$279 million worth of narcotics as part of the ship
US Navy coastal patrol ships USS Thunderbolt (PC 12) and USS Sirocco (PC 6) completed a week of maritime security operations in the Gulf of Oman on December 19. Maritime security operations in US 5th Fleet entail routine patrols to determine pattern of life in the maritime domain, enhance mariner-to
US Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers USS Jason Dunham (DDG 109) and USS The Sullivans (DDG 68) returned to their homeports after completing a seven-month deployment to Europe and the Middle East. On December 21, USS Jason Dunham returned to Naval Station Norfolk while USS The Sull
