Secretary of the Navy Ray Mabus concluded a visit to Leon M’ba, Gabon, Aug. 19. Mabus met with various government and military officials to discuss maritime security in the Gulf of Guinea and other areas of mutual concern such as piracy, transnational crime, and regional security. “Our Sailors and M
The Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Newcastle has completed a week-long maritime security patrol in the Arabian Gulf. Assigned to the multi-national Combined Task Force 152 (CTF 152), Newcastle patrolled the gulf looking for signs of terrorist activity and destabilising activity. Newcastle’s Boardin
On August 6th, after passing through the Suez Canal, navigating the Red Sea and crossing the Strait of Bab-el-Mandeb, the Spanish warship ESPS Meteoro has been integrated into the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. The ESPS Meteoro is the first of a series of four mod
On August 14, the United Nations Security Council called for a comprehensive regional approach to combat the threat of piracy and armed robbery at sea in the Gulf of Guinea, and reiterated its call on Member States to prosecute perpetrators in accordance with international laws. “The Security Counci
Yesterday Commander Task Force 465, Commodore Peter Lenselink, visited Commander Task Force 508, Commodore Henning Amundsen, on board HNoMS FRIDTJOF NANSEN to discuss ongoing counter-piracy operations. Combined Task Force 465 is the European Union Naval Force, which executes counter piracy Operation
Pirates will continue to prey on the lucrative West African oil trade, with more piracy and hijacking incidents expected in the Gulf of Guinea, as long as the political complexities surrounding naval presence in territorial waters continue, says an analyst with research and consulting firm GlobalDat
On 14 August, whilst in Djibouti the FGS Augsburg handed over the German commitment to the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta to FGS Niedersachsen. The handover was presided over by Captain Stefan Pauly, Branch Head of Maritime Operations from the Joint Forces Operatio
In the last week there have been no significant events, as a result the NATO Shipping Centre (NSC) has removed all Areas of Concern which were published last week (01-07 Aug 2013), NSC said in a weekly update. Nevertheless, the threat of piracy remains and vigilance is required when transiting thoug
On Monday, 12 August 2013, the Dutch frigate HNLMS VAN SPEIJK concluded more than two months deployment in support of NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD and began her voyage back to the Netherlands. VAN SPEIJK joined OCEAN SHIELD just days before Commodore Henning Amundsen took command of
Earlier this week, the Maltese Special Duties Enhanced Boarding Team (MSDEBT) on board the EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) ship Johan de Witt conducted a fast-rope exercise. They fast-roped from one of the two Cougar helicopters embarked on the Dutch warship. The Johan de Witt is currently the flagship of
A Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) warship has rescued a group of sailors left adrift for five days in the Gulf of Aden. The South Korean destroyer ROKS Wang Geon picked up the mariners near a busy shipping lane after their vessel caught fire and sank. Wang Geon was on patrol as part of Combined Task
After 148 days in charge, the Finnish Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) handed over the responsibility for the protection of the World Food Program (WFP) Ship MV Caroline Scan to a Lithuanian AVPD on 10 August. On behalf of Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant, Operation Commander European Union Na
Spanish Maritime Action Ship (BAM) ‘Meteoro’ relieved on August 7 the frigate ‘Numancia’ in the port of Djibouti. Operation ‘Atalanta’ is a EU-led mission fighting piracy in the coast of Somalia. Meteoro will remain in the theatre of operations for a period of four months. Her mission will be to pro
USS Lassen Docks in Melbourne, Australia The Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS Lassen (DDG 82) arrived in Melbourne for a port visit, Aug. 7. During the port visit Lassen will be involved in several community engagement projects including a visit to an after school program and a socce
