Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria recently enjoyed a break from her counter-piracy patrolling under Operation Atalanta and had five days alongside in Port Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, on Mahe Island. Whilst there, the crew of ESPS Santa Maria took the opportunity to conduct training
During FGS Bayern’s recent port visit to Djibouti, Operation Atalanta’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Kaack, welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Omar Arte, on board. It was the first time that the Deputy Prime Minister has visited the German warship and he was received on board wi
After taking part in the advanced multinational mine countermeasures (MCM) exercise Spanish Minex-16, minehunter Duero (M-35) integrated into the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR) to take part in the Italian Minex-16 and the maritime security exercise MCE-16 in Tunisian waters. The Spanish M-35,
Two Operation Atalanta ships, FGS Bayern and ITS Euro, recently trained with the Seychelles Marine Police Unit and the Djiboutian Coastguard, respectively. Sailors from Operation Atalanta’s German Flagship, FGS Bayern, spent a day working with the Seychelles Marine Police Unit (MPU) during their por
Ships from the People’s Liberation Army Navy 22nd Escort Task Group came alongside in Simon’s Town, South Africa for a formal visit from May 16-20, 2016. The visiting group was constituted by Luhu-class destroyer Qingdao, Jiangkai II-class frigate, Daqing and the Taihu replenishment ship, Taihu. The
In a close cooperation with EU’s counter-piracy operational headquarters, Chinese Navy warship CNS Xiangtan escorted World Food Programme vessel, Evangelia L, to the port of Berbera, Somaliland. Evangelia L had been chartered by the WFP to carry humanitarian aid to the Somali port. After phone calls
Ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group Two task unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) recently concluded a busy port visit in Casablanca, Morocco with a passing exercise and boarding exercise off the coast of Morocco. SNMG2 TU.02 led by Canadian Navy Commander Trevor MacLean included HMCS Fredericton (FFH 3
The international maritime exercise Phoenix Express 2016 was kicked off May 17, in the Mediterranean. Navies from Europe, North Africa, and the United States gathered to begin the 10th iteration of the exercise. Phoenix Express is sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and facilitated by U.S. Na
The EU Political and Security Committee on May 18 appointed Brigadier Robert Magowan, an officer from the British Royal Marines, as Operation Commander for the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. Brigadier Magowan is taking the place of Major General Martin Smith. He is expected to take up h
EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta has welcomed back the Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria. The ship was previously deployed on Op Atalanta in 2011 and will be conducting counter-piracy patrols over the coming five months. ESPS Santa Maria has an embarked Seahawk helicopter on board, allowing her to
Rear Admiral Ken Cheong, Commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, recently visited the EU NAVFOR’s operation Atalanta flagship, FGS Bayern in Salalah in the Gulf of Aden. Radm Cheong, who works for Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), met the Force Commander EU NAVFOR, Radm Jan Kaack, onboard FGS Baye
Crewmembers aboard the U.S. Navy’s hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) recently participated in an abandon ship drill while in its homeport at Naval Base San Diego. Mercy is preparing for Pacific Partnership 2016, the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparednes
German Navy’s tanker support ship, FGS Spessart, joined Operation Atalanta on May 11, as part of Germany’s contribution to the EU’s efforts to deter and disrupt piracy off the coast of Somalia. The ship departed the Wilhelmshaven base and set sail for the Horn of Africa on April 15, 2016. Under the
Spanish offshore patrol vessel ESPS Tornado, currently deployed to Operation Atalanta, recently visited the Seychelles. During the port visit Spanish sailors co-operated with Seychelles forces. The training began with theory lessons on board ESPS Tornado and was followed by practical training on Sai
