Authorities
Australia bolsters naval shipbuilding workforce retention strategy
In a bid to keep as many skilled naval shipbuilders within the industry, the Australian defense industry minister announced that shipbuilders currently working on the air warfare destroyer project would transition to support Collins-class submarine sustainment work as the destroyer project winds dow
Australian Navy frigate HMAS Darwin retires after 33 years of service
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Darwin concluded her 33 years of service and was decommissioned in a ceremony at her homeport of Garden Island, Sydney. In a ceremony on December 9, Chief of Navy, Vice Admiral Tim Barrett, paid tribute to the service of the ship’s company past and present. “Darwin
NATO strengthens ties with merchant shipping community in Mediterranean Sea exercise
A NATO exercise involving warships from Italy, Greece and Turkey and the international merchant shipping community is taking place in the international waters of the central and eastern Mediterranean Sea. This focused security patrol is being conducted in coordination with a Naval Cooperation and Gu
Seaspan launches Canadian Coast Guard’s first Offshore Fisheries Science Vessel
The first large vessel to be designed and built under the Canadian National Shipbuilding Strategy (NSS) was launched at Seaspan Shipyards on December 8. ‘Sir John Franklin’ is the first of three offshore fisheries science vessels (OFSV) which will be operated by the Canadian Coast Guard. In 2011, th
German tanker Rhön concludes NATO SNMG1 mission
German Navy tanker FGS Rhön is scheduled to return to its homeport in Wilhelmshaven on December 12, concluding a four-month deployment to the Mediterranean and North Sea. The ship spent four months with NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), supplying the warships with fuel and fresh water and oc
US Coast Guard offloads 12.4 tons of cocaine in Florida
The US Coast Guard offloaded close to 12.4 tons of cocaine in Port Everglades, Florida, on December 7. The drugs were offloaded by the crew of the Coast Guard cutter Escanaba but are the result of several interdictions in international waters off the Eastern Pacific Ocean between mid-October and lat
Australian Navy assumes command of Combined Task Force 150
The Royal Australian Navy is at the helm of Combined Maritime Forces’ Combined Task Force 150 (CTF150) after assuming command from the Pakistan Navy in a change of command ceremony at CMF headquarters in Bahrain on December 7. Australian Commodore Mal Wise assumed command of CTF150 from Pakistani Re
HMS Queen Elizabeth enters Royal Navy service
The UK’s new fleet flagship HMS Queen Elizabeth entered Royal Navy service on December 7 after being commissioned by Her Majesty The Queen in a grand ceremony in Portsmouth. In her role as the ship’s lady sponsor, Her Majesty addressed guests before the ship’s commanding officer, Captain Jerry Kyd,
Canadian Coast Guard names new SAR lifeboat
The Canadian Coast Guard named a new Bay-class search and rescue lifeboat in a ceremony on December 6. The Canadian ministry of fisheries revealed that the new boat for the Atlantic Region will be called CCGS Pennant Bay and is set to be delivered to the Coast Guard later this month. CCGS Conception
US, Royal Navy conclude mine countermeasure drill in Persian Gulf
The US Navy and Royal Navy completed a UK/US mine countermeasures exercise (MCMEX) in the central Persian Gulf on December 7. This quarterly event doubled as the certification for the staff of Commander, Task Force (CTF) 52 by Surface Mine Warfighting Development Center. The exercise involved a rang
JFD joins Australian Navy submarine rescue exercise
Submarine rescue system manufacturer JFD recently joined Australian Navy vessels for a demonstration of its deep-sea submarine emergency equipment during the exercise Black Carillon 2017. The annual safety exercise saw the participation of salvage and rescue vessel MV Besant, offshore supply ship MV
Italian frigate trains with Chinese, Korean warships off Somalia
Italian Navy frigate and current operation Atalanta flagship ITS Fasan trained with ships from the Chinese PLA Navy and Republic of Korea Navy off the coast of Somalia recently. Fasan first rendezvoused with South Korean and Spanish Navy ships after delivering medicine to the Somalian port city of H
Dutch, Swedish sailors return from piracy mission off Somalia
A team of Dutch and Swedish sailors and marines have returned from a three-month deployment to the Horn of Africa as part of the EU counter-piracy operation Atalanta. Dutch Navy landing platform dock HNLMS Rotterdam returned to her homeport Den Helder on December 3 with an embarked Swedish boarding
M/V Asterix becomes Canada’s “greenest naval ship”
Canadian Navy’s future naval fleet auxiliary vessel M/V Asterix has joined Green Marine, a voluntary environmental certification program for North America’s maritime industry. By doing so, the Federal Fleet Services-operated oiler became the first naval oiler to join the certification program. “It’s