Navy ships from BALTRON states – Estonia, Lithuania and Latvia – kicked off the international maritime exercise Baltic Fortress 17 on May 19 in Estonian territorial waters. Joining the Baltic nations navies were sailors from the Belgian Navy’s minehunter BNS Primula who arrived to Estonia last week.
Irish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel LÉ Eithne departed the Haulbowline naval base on May 23, starting her Mediterranean Sea deployment. Commanded by Commander Brian FitzGerald, the 72 crew of LÉ Eithne will help fight smuggling and prevent loss of life at sea off the Libyan coast. The operation is d
Ships from NATO’s standing maritime group one (SNMG1), arrived in Stockholm, Sweden, on May 19 for a scheduled port visit as part of the group’s deployment to the Baltic Sea. This week, SNMG1 will exercise and conduct maritime maneuvers in the Baltic Sea together with elements from the Swedish Air F
The German defense ministry’s plan for a quick acquisition of additional five K130 corvettes has been brought to a halt following a ruling by the German cartel office on May 18. The defense ministry wanted to avoid an open procedure by buying the five corvettes from the Lürssen- Thyssen Krupp Marine
Italian Navy’s FREMM frigate ITS Carabiniere will be performing counter-piracy duties off the Horn of Africa after completing a promotional tour to Asia Pacific and the Middle East. The Carlo Bergamini-class frigate started her “Italian industry showcase” deployment in December last year and travele
Two Russian Su-24 fighter aircraft buzzed the Royal Netherlands Navy’s De Zeven Provinciën-class frigate HNLMS Evertsen in the Baltic Sea. The frigate is currently part of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 and has been operating in the Baltic Sea since joining the group last week. According to Dutch
Royal Navy minehunter HMS Grimsby arrived in Rosyth Royal dockyard, berthing for a refit following six months of operations. In Rosyth, Grismby will receive a full refit that will encompass deep level maintenance, fit of new equipment upgrades (a new sonar fit that will make Grimsby the most advance
Singapore’s ministry of defense announced the signing of a contract with ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems for the acquisition of additional two Type 218SG submarines. The ministry said the contract includes a logistics package and a crew training arrangement in Germany. This contract brings the number of
Sailors from the Italian Navy’s Maestrale-class frigate ITS Espero carried out maritime training with a team from the Djiboutian Navy during their recent port visit in Djibouti. Currently part of the EUNAVFOR’s counter-piracy operation Atalanta, ITS Espero worked with EUCAP Somalia staff during the
A total of six ships from two NATO groups arrived to Tallinn, Estonia, on Friday, for a port visit and subsequent historic ordnance disposal operations. Prior to entering port, Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group One (SNMCMG1) and Standing NATO Maritime Group One (SNMG1) took part in a maneuve
NATO’s Baltic Sea search and rescue drill Dynamic Mercy concluded on Wednesday, May 10. The two-week exercise was divided into six challenging aeronautical and maritime training scenarios. In total, nine Rescue Coordination Centres (RCC’s) comprising of joint, maritime and air centres from eight NAT
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri laid the keel for the Italian Navy’s first Multipurpose Offshore Patrol Ship (PPA) on May 9. The ceremony took place at Fincantieri’s shipyard in Muggiano, La Spezia. According to Fincantieri, the first of seven offshore patrol ships will be delivered in 2021. The PPA
Denmark is sending a Bombardier Challenger 604 maritime patrol aircraft to support the monitoring of shipping traffic in the Indian Ocean, the country’s ministry of foreign affairs announced on May 5. It was further said that Denmark would make a Challenger airplane available for the Mediterranean e
NATO warships escorted a Russian Navy submarine through the North Sea and the English Channel as it transited in the direction of its Novorossiysk base in the Black Sea. The Royal Navy sent its Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset to shadow the Russian Kilo-class submarine Krasnodar as it passed through the
