Authorities
EUNAVFOR Stops Group of Suspected Somali Pirates
EU Counter Piracy Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) have tracked down and stopped a group of suspected pirates who were believed to have tried to attack a Hong-Kong flagged tanker approximately 400 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. EU Naval Force warship FS Aconit was called to investigate after the ta
USS Nimitz Holds Change of Command Ceremony
USS Nimitz (CVN 68) held a change of command ceremony aboard the aircraft carrier March 29. Capt. Jeffrey S. Ruth relieved Capt. Paul O. Monger. Monger assumed command of Nimitz Aug. 24, 2009. Since then, the ship completed a deployment to the 5th Fleet area of operations, Board of Inspection and Su
USS Elrod Visits NS Guantanamo Bay
USS Elrod (FFG 55), currently supporting Joint Interagency Task Force South (JITF) counter-narcotics operations in the U.S. Southern Command (SOUTHCOM) area of responsibility, visited Naval Station (NS) Guantanamo Bay, March 27-30. Elrod, an Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate, was in port for fuel, w
USA: IWO ARG, 24 MEU Depart for Deployment
More than 4,000 Sailors and Marines from the Iwo Jima Amphibious Ready Group (IWO ARG) and 24th Marine Expeditionary Unit (24 MEU) departed for deployment from Norfolk and Camp Lejeune, N.C., March 27. The team got underway as part of a regularly scheduled deployment to support Maritime Security Ope
Russia: Large ASW Ship Vice Admiral Kulakov Prepares for Anti-Piracy Mission
Large ASW ship Vice Admiral Kulakov is heading for Northern Fleet (NF) test range in the Barents Sea. The crew has passed full training cycle in base and is finishing preparations for long-range cruise to the Gulf of Aden. Personnel of the ship will perform a number of missile and gun firings, air a
ESPS Patino Assists Yemeni Dhow
On the 26 March 2012, the EU Naval Force Flagship ESPS Patino located a Yemeni registered dhow that was suspected of being involved in acts of piracy off the Somali coast. The previous day a merchant vessel had reported that it had evaded an attack by two skiffs. As she was close by, ESPS Patino [&h
Ukrainian Navy’s Airplane An-26 to Join EU Operation Atalanta
In Oct 2012, Ukrainian Navy’s airplane An-26 will join EU Operation Atalanta conducted off Somalia to counter piracy, reports Ukrinform referring to Vasily Filipchuk, Director of Political Dept, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. As for him, “Ukrainian naval airplane An-26 will be dispatched to the mission
Russian Pacific Fleet Task Unit Completes Anti-Piracy Mission off Horn of Africa
Pacific Fleet (PF) task unit headed by Capt 1 rank Ildar Akhmerov and consisting of large ASW ship Admiral Tributs, replenishment tanker Pechenga, and seagoing tug MB-37 has completed anti-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa and is currently heading for homebase. Through over 3 months of anti-pira
Australia: UGL Infrastructure, Babcock to Provide Surface Ship R&M Services for Aznac GMC
UGL Limited announced that Babcock Pty Ltd (Babcock) and UGL Infrastructure Pty Ltd will form a Special Purpose Vehicle, Naval Ship Management (Australia) Pty Ltd (NSM(Aust)), an incorporated 50:50 joint venture, to provide Naval surface ship repair and maintenance services for the ANZAC Ship Group
FS MARNE Heads for Gulf of Aden with Future EU NAVFOR Force Commander
French Navy command and replenishment ship FS MARNE left Toulon on 25 March and is heading towards the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, with the future EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Dupuis and his staff on board. The FS MARNE carries a complement of 215 personnel on board, among whom are
UK: Plymouth Based Warship Wins Prestigious Trophy for Second Year Running
Plymouth based warship, HMS Ocean, has been awarded a trophy as the Royal Navy’s most effective large ship for 2011 having also won it in 2010. HMS Ocean has won the 2011 Effectiveness Trophy in two categories ‘Capital Ship’ and ‘Naval Capability’, the latter in conjunction with the Apache Air Group
Gulf of Aden: Armed Guards Use ‘Flotels’ to Store Weapons
Despite the legal grey area that surrounds floating armouries, they may be permitted if private maritime security companies prove they can fulfil licensing requirements. One PMSC told Lloyd’s List that almost all companies operating in the Gulf of Aden use “flotels” to store weapons, equipment and m
USA: Enterprise Carrier Strike Group Completes Passing Exercise
Enterprise Carrier Strike Group (CSG) completed a series of training evolutions with Standing NATO Maritime Group (SNMG) 1 during a passing exercise (PASSEX) in the Mediterranean Sea March 24-25. During the two-day exercise, nine ships from multiple navies were provided the opportunity to work toget
Qatar: HII to Participate at DIMDEX
Huntington Ingalls Industries will participate in Doha’s International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX) this week, highlighting the new patrol frigate derivative of the company’s proven U.S. Coast Guard National Security Cutter. The patrol frigate could be built at the company’s I