German Navy submarine U 34 left its homeport in Eckernförde, Germany on March 30 to join the Standing NATO Maritime Group 1. The submarine is headed for Scotland where it will meet with the group ahead the Joint Warrior exercise scheduled to take place from April 11 – 22. Apart from SNMG 1 the exerc
A Royal Navy warship has located and escorted a Russian naval task group which was sailing in British waters, through the English Channel and up the East Coast of the UK, the Royal Navy said. HMS Somerset, a Type 23 Frigate, along with her Merlin helicopter was used to detect and monitor the movemen
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1), under the command of Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Jose Enrique Delgado, visited Riga, Latvia, for a scheduled port visit last week. The group is currently deployed to the North and Baltic Seas. SNMG1 is currently composed of three ships: the Spanish F100 class fr
Spanish Navy minesweeper ESPS Tambre concluded its deployment to the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 2 and returned to Cartagena, Spain on March 28. The Segura-class minesweeper spent two months integrated into the maritime group which was comprised of ships from different NATO member stat
Operation Atalanta’s new Force Commander who took command over the force six days ago used the opportunity to meet a Lithuanian Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment as his ship, FGs Bayern, rendezvoused with World Food Programme ship MSM Douro. The Lithuanian team that comprises MSM Douro’s Auton
Photos: Belgian Navy Belgian Navy’s minehunter BNS Primula officially joined the Standing NATO Mine Counter Measures Group 1 on March 14 and on March 21 began its deployment as it, together with other ships from the group, sailed out of the Zeebruge harbor in Belgium. During the three months the shi
German Navy Rear Admiral Jan Kaack took over the role of the Force Commander of EUNAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta from the Italian Navy Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri on March 23. Rear Admiral Kaack will command the EU Naval Force Somalia from his flaghsip, FGS Bayern for five months. Speaking about his
The U.S. Navy’s 6th Fleet operating in Europe and Africa has established a new task force that will be solely responsible for ballistic missile defense in Europe. On March 24, Commodore Jeffrey Wolstenholme assumed command of the newly established Commander, Task Force 64, as the unit was named. U.S
The UK Defence Infrastructure Organisation has awarded a £19 million (approx $26M) contract for the Mare Harbour, Falklands, to be upgraded to host larger Royal Navy ships. UK-based civil engineering company VolkerStevin will design and construct a facility suitable to cater for the Point-class ship
The Indian Navy has awarded the British provider of marine engineering services James Fisher and Sons a £193 million (approx $273M) contract for the delivery of two submarine rescue and escape systems. The contract will see James Fisher Defence, a subsidiary of James Fisher and Sons, design and prod
Dutch heavy lift company BigLift Shipping has shared photos of one of its vessels loading three former Royal Australian Navy, Balikpapan class, heavy landing craft bound for the Philippines. The company said that two vessels were loaded in Darwin and one in Cairns. All three were offloaded in Cebu,
French patrol ship FS Commandant Bouan joined NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) in the Aegean Sea last week. Commandant Bouan is the second ship to reinforce the mission against human traffickers as the Dutch frigate HNLMS Van Amstel sailed for the Aegean on March 10. SNMG2 is conducting
Led by the Turkish tender TCG Cezayirli Gazi Hasan Pasa, ships from NATO’s mine counter measures group two (SNMCMG2) arrived in Bar, Montenegro, March 18. The ships are on a scheduled port visit during the group’s deployment to the Mediterranean to enhance maritime security and readiness. The visit
Swedish Marine Brigadier General Ola Truedsson on March 10 visited the participants of NATO exercise Dynamic Move 16 (DME16) taking place in Oostende, Belgium. DME16 is an annual Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) tactical-level Mine Counter Measure Command Post Exercise and is designed to train parti
