Fostering a better understanding of how they operate in the maritime environment was the aim of the Passage Exercise (PASSEX) conducted between HMAS Ballarat (Commander Jonathan Earley) and the People’s Revolutionary Army – Navy frigate Anqing (LCDR Hu Jinchun) at the mouth of the Yangtze River on 2
Thales has been awarded a contract to supply minesweeping equipment for the Republic of Korea Navy’s (ROKN) new Mine Sweeper Hunters. The contract signed with ITT Corporation (now ITT Exelis) is for the supply of three ship sets of Advanced Acoustic Generators (AAGs) from Thales in Australia. These
‘Welcome to China’, that was the signalled greeting afforded to HMAS Ballarat (Commander Jonathan Earley) by warships of the PLA-N, as Ballarat carefully weaved her way through the busy nine hour pilotage that encompassed transits of the Yangtz and Huangpu Rivers into Shanghai on 17 May 12. Escorted
Service members and civilians aboard Military Sealift Command hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) celebrated Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month, May 20, while underway for Pacific Partnership 2012 (PP12). Crew members participated in an educational brief, singing, dancing and a fashion show fo
On May 17, the Anzac Class Guided Missile Frigate, HMAS Ballarat, began a five-day ship visit to Shanghai, China. Ballarat will be docked at the northern end of Shanghai’s historic Bund from 17-21 May. The visit will involve cultural exchanges and visits to significant icons in Shanghai. The exercis
HMS Westminster smashed the actions of three pirate groups in a fortnight – sending the boats to the bottom of the Indian Ocean. The Portsmouth-based warship treated the skiffs to a Viking funeral, blasting them out of the water with her guns and those of her Merlin helicopter. With orange-red flame
Barnstaple and Aberdeen based engineering firm J+S recently returned from exhibiting at the biennial Defence Security Association exhibition in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. This is the second time J+S have demonstrated their capabilities in the Far East following their successful attendance at Oil & Gas
Chinese Navy (Peoples Liberation Army Navy- PLA Navy) Training Ship ‘Zheng He’ called at Kochi todate on 09 May 12. Rear Admiral Liao Shining Deputy Chief of Naval Staff PLAN was embarked on board as the Task Commander. His Excellency Mr Zhang Yan, Ambassador of China to India also arrived in Kochi
Describing the emerging security matrix in the Indian Ocean Region as complex”, with “some political developments” and worrisome factors, the Defence Minister Shri AK Antony called upon the top brass of the Indian Navy to maintain high levels of preparedness at all times. Addressing the Naval Comman
Phoenix Express 2012 (PE12), a multi-national exercise between Southern European, North African and U.S. naval forces, officially kicked off at the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operation Training Center (NMIOTC) in Souda Bay, May 7. Phoenix Express is an at-sea maritime exercise designed to improve co
Fleet Base West has experienced a busy first half of 2012, with both HMAS Stirling and West based Fleet Units playing host to several high profile international visitors since January. April was particularly busy with a flurry of VIP visits to the West. The first was from the United States Secretary
Survey ship HMS Echo became the first Royal Navy vessel in ‘the gateway of India’ in five years when she sailed into the metropolis that is Mumbai. It allowed a change of some crew (the ship regularly rotates around one third of her sailors to sustain her mission away from the UK) and a chance [&hel
On Wednesday 18 April, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Spanish warship, ESPS Infanta Elena rescued 6 Sri Lankan fishermen and their fishing vessel from 7 suspected pirates. The fishing vessel had been in the hands of suspect pirates since November 2011 and was reportedly being used as a mother-ship to la
Pacific Fleet (PF) task force comprising Guards missile cruiser Varyag, destroyers Marshal Shaposhnikov, Admiral Vinogradov, and salvage tug SB-522 left bases setting a course for the Yellow Sea. There it will meet destroyer Admiral Tributs, tanker Pechenga, and seagoing tug MB-37 heading from the G
