The Units of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) engaged in Cross Pollination (X-Poll) to strengthen the personal and professional relationships between the sailors. Units from Canada, Germany, Spain and Turkey arranged for this meeting and each exchanged up to five sailors for the following days
Spanish Navy’s auxiliary oiler and replenishment (AOR) ship Cantabria, part of the counter-terrorist operation Active Endeavor in the Mediterranean Sea, is the Spain’s first oiler to supply fuel to three ships simultaneously. During the alongside connected replenishment manoeuver, the Cantabria supp
UK to Upgrade Its Type 23 Frigates The UK MOD has awarded contracts worth £80 million to upgrade the backbone of the Royal Navy surface flotilla, the Type 23 Frigates. Australia to Invest Big in Its Surface Fleet The Australian Government announced a long-term investment of over $89 billion in ships
On Thursday 6 August 2015, the Head of German Armed Forces Operational Command, Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Fritz, visited the EU Naval Force Operational Headquarter at Northwood. Lieutenant General Hans-Werner Fritz was met by the Deputy Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Ch
Last week Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) met with Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) while operating in the Eastern Mediterranean. Both groups had the opportunity to perform a passing exercise, characterized as sailing in formation. SNMG1 took the opportunity to refuel with SNMG2 ESPS CA
This week Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) entered in the port of Aksaz, Turkey for a planned port visit during its assignment to NATO’s counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR. After the group assemble in Palma de Mallorca (Spain), the German flagship frigate FGS HAMBURG, followed by t
Australian Navy’s STS Young Endeavour has sailed across the North Sea to compete in the Sail Training International Tall Ship Races from Norway to Denmark – further north than the brigantine has previously sailed. In eight months at sea Young Endeavour has rounded Cape Horn, attended the Anzac Cente
A Merlin from 814 Naval Air Squadron is guided down on to the flight deck of Italy’s flagship for the first time as part of the international migrant mission in the Mediterranean. The 814 NAS crew normally based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose near Helston in Cornwall flew on to the Aircraft Car
NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) concluded a visit to Istanbul July 27, following their participation in Exercises BREEZE and SEA SHIELD during Group’s deployment into the Black Sea. Led by Rear Admiral Alberto Correia (Portuguese Navy), SNMG1 comprised during the Blac
The US destroyer USS Jason Dunham sailed into Devonport Naval Base, UK, to begin a five day visit on Friday, July 31. USS Jason Dunham has been on deployment from her home port of Norfolk, Virginia since January this year. She has visited various European countries such as Montenegro, Bulgaria and P
On 25 July 2015, staff from Operation Atalanta Force Headquarters visited the Japanese Detachment of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151 in Djibouti. Led by the Force HQ Chief of Staff, Captain Jens Nykvist, the meeting was hosted by Captain Masahisa Motomura, Commanding Officer of the Deployment Air-Forc
This month, a Damen RoRo 5612 was launched at Halong Shipyard in Vietnam. The RoRo is one of nine Damen vessels ordered by the Royal Bahamas Defence Force as part of its Sandy Bottom Project. The vessel’s multi-purpose capabilities will be put to use by the Defence Force in a range of situations inc
On Saturday 25th of July 2015, EU Naval Force Commander, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gomez Fernando de Cordoba, welcomed the Chief of the Djiboutian Navy, Colonel Abdourahman Aden Cher, on board Operation Atalanta flagship, ESPS Galicia. The visit included a guided tour of the Spanish warship, followed by
Spanish warship, ESPS Galicia, recently reached the halfway point in her deployment as the flagship for Operation Atalanta. Since joining the Operation in May 2015, ESPS Galicia has sailed over 15,000 nautical miles, conducting counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Somali basin, as well as
