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
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
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
Italian Navy frigate named ITS Libeccio has completed a port visit to Dar Es Saalam in Tanzania as part of EU Naval Force mission. The ship’s crew conducted anti-piracy training with the Tanzanian Navy on Tuesday 24th December. As part of the visit, ITS Libeccio’s company visited a local orphanage l
The Ukrainian Navy ship, Hetman Sahaidachnyi, has returned to the port of Djibouti having completed its sixth patrolling and presence in the Ocean Shield operation. The ship ensured navigation security in the Gulf of Aden from October 12, 2013 through January 2, 2014. Hetman Sahaidachnyi spent 47 da
The flagship of NATO’s anti-piracy operation ‘Ocean Shield’, Spanish F-100 frigate Álvaro de Bazán, welcomed aboard the Spanish Prime Minister, Mariano Rajoy. The Prime Minister was hosted by rear-admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río, commander of the operation, who briefed the PM on the activities carried
Spanish warship, ESPS Tornado, integrated with the EU Naval Force on counter-piracy operation, dropped anchor in the port of Djibouti on 26 December 2013 to change helicopters, since its Augusta Bell 212 helicopter had become unserviceable and beyond repair. As a result, the Spanish Navy arranged fo
On 23 December, two EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) warships, FGS Hessen and ESPS Tornado, conducted a Vertical Replenishment (VERTREP) which is a transfer of items from one ship to another by the use of a helicopter. The replenishment took place amid counter-piracy deployment of the warships to the Gulf
During their recent port visit to Dar Es Salaam, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel, ESPS Tornado, conducted training with a team from the Tanzanian Navy. Nineteen members of the Tanzanian Navy were given a briefing on boarding operations, followed by a boarding exercise. The
“The Ukrainian Navy is very much looking forward to joining the European Union Naval Force, which has made a significant contribution in the fight against piracy over the past five years.” On Tuesday 17 December 2013, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean, the Force Commander of the European Union’s counter pi
When Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjéan took over the Force Headquarters of the EU Operation Atalanta on Friday 6 December, one of his first actions was to meet with the Force Commanders of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), Commodore Aage Buur Jensen, and NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield, Rear Admiral Eugeni
On Friday morning 13 December 2013, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean, who is the EU Force Commander for Operation Atalanta warships conducting counter piracy patrols off the Somali coast, visited Federal German Ship (FGS) Hessen. After being flown on board FGS Hessen by the German warship’s Sea Lynx MK-88
On Friday 13 December EU Naval Force frigate, ITS Libeccio came to the assistance of a Yemeni fishing dhow that was sailing along the Somali coast with 38 people on board. Due to poor weather conditions, one of two skiffs that were being towed astern of the dhow had capsized and started to sink. Ful
