The European Union’s anti-piracy naval force, Operation Atalanta, is reflecting deeply on extending the range of their activities to the beaches of Somalia, where the piracy developments are deemed to be the most intensive. The EU committee has requested the force’s commander to develop plans for re
HMAS Parramatta has provided essential life saving assistance to an Iranian flagged vessel in distress on Christmas Eve. Parramatta is on patrol in the Gulf of Aden conducting the Australian Operation Slipper rotation 27 under tasking to Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150). On 23 December, HMAS Parram
Several unknown pirate boats were unsuccessful in their attempt to hijack a Saudi oil tanker as the Iranian destroyer Jamaran intervened. It is most likely that the whole incident took place in the Sea of Oman where Iran is currently conducting massive wargames. Jamaran was part of Iran’s 16th fleet
The Deputy Commander of the Main Staff of the Russian navy, Rear Admiral Vasily Lyashok, and a high level delegation were received by President James Michel at State House yesterday. They were accompanied by the Russian Ambassador in Victoria, Mikhail Kalinin. The visit coincides with the port of ca
Anticipating that the pirates will not take a break over the holiday period, neither will the EU NAVFOR units patrolling around the Horn of Africa and in the Somali Basin. Whilst back at home in Europe the families of the deployed EU NAVFOR personnel celebrate this very special season of the year, t
Pacific Fleet (PF) task unit headed by large ASW ship Admiral Panteleyev attending the international anti-piracy campaign in the Gulf of Aden on Dec 19 arrived in the capital city of Seychelles Victoria paying informal visit. The warship was met on the pier by Russian ambassador to Republic of Seych
On the morning of 17 December, following coordination between the staffs in Task Force 508 and 465, EUNAVFOR Flagship SPS PATIÑO provided fuel to the Danish frigate ABSALON operating as part of the NATO counter-piracy task force. The huge expanse of the Indian ocean, where a number of different Task
The Spanish auxiliary oiler and replenishment ship, the SPS PATINO, Flagship of the European Union Naval Force Somalia, with the Force Commander, Captain Jorge Manso Revilla embarked, has recently completed a “first” for the mission by escorting a three ship convoy of ships chartered by the World Fo
Deputy Commander Operation ATALANTA Rear Admiral Christian Canova and newly appointed EUNAVFOR Force Commander Captain Jorge Manso paid a visit to NATO Operation Ocean Shield Force Commander, RADM Sinan Azmi Tosun, onboard his Flagship TCG Giresun. With representatives of NATO and coalition Counter-
A team of 24 troops from Uganda, part of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) received vessel protection training from French and Estonian troops in Mombasa onboard FS FLOREAL, which is operating as part of the EU NAVFOR. The training was planned as part of ongoing improvements in capability and
In Djibouti on 7 December, RAdm Christian Canova FRAN, Deputy Commander EU NAVFOR, transferred six powerful outboard motors which had been confiscated from Somali pirates to Colonel Abdourahman Aden Cher, Chief of the Djiboutian Navy. The engines were taken from small skiffs which had been stopped b
NATO warship USS De Wert prevented a suspected pirate dhow from engaging in acts of piracy and forced it back to the Somali coast making further acts of piracy impossible at this time. While engaged in a replenishment at sea, USS De Wert received intelligence reports that a dhow acting suspiciously
The current year has brought a record-breaking income to Somali pirates hijacking ships and crews for ransom, said deputy director of EU NAVFOR – Operation Atalanta in the interview to online Bruxelles2. According to the admiral, pirates have obtained over $135 mln ransoms in 2011, while in the past
Farewell ceremony of another Pacific Fleet (PF) task unit consisting of large ASW ship Admiral Tributs, tanker Pechenga, and seagoing tug MB-37 will be held on Dec 10. The unit will head for the Gulf of Aden to protect commercial shipping from pirate attacks. That will be the seventh PF task unit fo
