The NATO counter-piracy flagship of Task Force 508 (CTF 508) HDMS ESBERN SNARE and the Royal Navy of Oman corvette RNOV AL-RASIKH on November 24th conducted a naval exercise in the Arabian Sea off Salalah to improve interoperability and strengthen relations between the forces. The exercise focused m
On November 26th, 2014, NATO and Japanese maritime forces continued to strengthen relations and enhance interoperability by conducting a combined exercise in the Gulf of Aden. It was a follow-on to the first-ever exercise between the two counter-piracy forces that took place two months ago. Like the
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, visited the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu, at the IMO headquarters in London on Wednesday 26 November. Meeting to discuss the current situation off the Horn of Africa
Royal Fleet Auxiliary ship Fort Austin has spent the last few weeks in company with HMS Bulwark as part of the Cougar 14 Task Group, sailing from the United Kingdom into the Mediterranean through the Suez Canal and Red Sea and up into the Gulf. The Ship’s Company has been busy throughout, keeping th
During the last week EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Navarra, invited local Somali leaders on board in order to help build relations between the EU Naval Force and the Somali people. After being welcomed on board, the Somalis were given an insight into the EU’s Operation Atalanta, that is helping to ma
On 19 and 20 November, during her recent port visit to Dar Es Salam, EU Naval Force warship BNS Leopold I hosted members of the Tanzanian Navy in support of EUCAP Nestor’s initiative to conduct Local Maritime Capability Building (LMCB). On the first day, BNS Leopold I’s crew organised several worksh
Partrac Ltd has recently completed a survey to demonstrate its particle tracing technology for aiding the management of contaminated sediments. This was for the SPAWAR (Space and Naval Warfare) Systems Centre Pacific in San Diego. The study is being undertaken under a grant funded by the US Departme
During their recent port visit to Djibouti, Dutch warship HNLMS van Speijk hosted a visit from the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management, or CIVCOM, which is an advisory body within the European Union dealing with crisis management. The delegation consisted, amongst others, of sixteen
Russian Navy’s second Mistral-class helicopter carrier Sevastopol has been floated out of Saint Nazaire shipyard’s dry dock in France. Sevastopol is one of two Mistral-class vessels ordered by the Russian Navy. A military diplomatic source, quoted by RIA Novosti, said that the Russian Defense Minist
The Council has extended the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta by two more years, until 12 December 2016. The Operation’s main focus is the protection of World Food Programme vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Somalia; and the deterrence, repression and disruption of piracy off the Somali c
The future Commander of Combined Maritime Forces Task Force 150 (CTF-150), Commodore Brian Santarpia (CAN N), visited NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to discuss coordination and interaction with NATO forces in the Indian Ocean. During the visit, Commodore Santarpia met with MARCOM Deputy Comma
The Commander of French Submarine and Strategic Oceanic Forces (ALFOST), Vice Admiral Louis-Michel Guillaume, and his Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations Captain Bertrand Dumoulin, visited NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to meet with the MARCOM Command Group following his appointment in Septe
Seven ships of Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group ONE (SNMCMG1), under command of Lithuanian Navy Commander Giedrius Premeneckas, arrived in London for a routine port visit. SNMCMG1 is visiting London as part of the Group’s deployment to enhance maritime security and NATO’s readiness in the r
Australian Defence Force vessels and aircraft have completed monitoring a Russian Surface Task Group that was operating in the Coral Sea to Australia’s north. The Russian ships did not enter Australian territorial waters and have now departed the Coral Sea. The flotilla included Russian Federation S
