NATO’s Counter Piracy Task Force Commander, Rear Admiral (ESP N) Eugenio Diaz del Rio welcomed a delegation of the Yemeni Coast Guard, lead by the Head of Brigadier General Ahmed Saleh Al-Soubhi on board CTF-508 flagship ESPS ALVARO DE BAZAN on Tuesday, 21 January 2014. The topics of the meeting w
The Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS TE MANA is ready to join NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield today, which will be the second time that a partner nation has contributed to NATO’s counter-piracy efforts after Ukraine. NATO welcomed the offer to contribute to the operation from the New Zealand Gov
Representatives from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey and the Russian Federation are attending BLACKSEAFOR planning event, which is taking place in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Rear Admiral Denis Berzovsky, Deputy Commander of Navy of Ukrainian Armed Forces, who is leading a Ukrainian working group, sai
The French Naval Ship FS Siroco in cooperation with Japanese assets released crewmembers from a pirated dhow on January 18th. The flagship arrested five suspected pirates believed of having attacked an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden a day earlier. The UK Maritime Trade Operation received a call fo
Austal held a keel-laying ceremony for the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service’s (ACBPS) fifth Cape Class Patrol Boat, the Cape Jervis, on 17 January 2014. The Cape Class Patrol Boats Contract, which includes design, construction and through-life support of eight 58- meter patrol boat
The MU90 lightweight torpedo developed by the European Economic Interest Group EUROTORP formed by DCNS, THALES and the Italian company WASS, is attracting growing interest among world navies. Two new navies have decided to follow in the footsteps of the Australian Navy and acquire the MU90 in 2013
Commander of South Korean Expeditionary Task Group, Captain Sung-Mok Choi, paid a visit to Commander of Combined Task Force 508, Rear Admiral Eugenio Diaz del Rio, aboard the Spanish Naval Vessel, ESPS Alvaro De Bazan, in the Gulf of Aden on 11 January 2014. The South Korean Navy staff arrived onb
The Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset dropped her anchor in Gibraltar on the way to beginning a deployment East of Suez. The deployment comes in the aftermath of HMS Somerset’s £21 million pound refit, which renewed her operational capability and restored her full readiness. Whilst in Gibral
Another busy year is ahead of the Royal Australian Navy’s replenishment oiler HMAS Sirius. Nevertheless, before she sets sail to support this year’s operations, she will have to undergo a scheduled maintenance period in order to be ready to head out to the high seas once again. In 2013, which was
Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) and PT PAL (Persero) Shipyard in Surabaya, Indonesia held the steel cutting ceremony on 15 January 2014 for the first SIGMA 10514 PKR Frigate. DSNS and PT PAL signed the contract for construction of the 105 meters long frigate with the Defence Ministry of In
Hetman Sahaydachnyi, the Ukrainian Navy frigate, finished the first patrolling as part of European Naval Force Operation Atalanta from 5 to15th of January. The primary goal of Hetman’s presence was to perform counter-piracy operations, secure civil ships carrying out tasks within the World Food Pr
A new Commanding Officer took the helm of HMAS Coonawarra during a formal handover-takeover ceremony in Darwin in December. As a former Commanding Officer of Fremantle and Armidale Class Patrol Boats (ACPB), Commander (CMDR) John Navin relieved CMDR Ben Favelle. CMDR Navin said that the main focus
The Republic of China Navy held an anti-submarine exercise in waters off Taiwan on January 14th, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, Watch China Times news portal writes. Chengkung-class frigates and US-made coastal minehunters participated in the exercise. The Navy dispatched the frigates from Tso
The German Navy ship, FGS Hessen, which is currently part of European Naval Force Operation Atalanta, assisted a Yemeni dhow off the coast of Yemen. The dhow was drifting for five days due to some technical malfunctions. The Japanese Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) alerted FGS Hes
