On 30 April, container ship MV Jumme Trader launched a SOS message after a crew member became very ill. The SOS was picked up by the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg and the Force Commander on board immediately directed EU Naval Force French warship, FS Floréal, to provide medical assistance
On 11 April the Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen, visited the first ship of his task force since he took over command. The Hellenic frigate HS Psara, which has been part of EU Naval Force since February 2014, is participating i
While patrolling in the Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa, Royal Australian Navy ship HMAS Darwin provided emergency medical assistance for a heart attack victim on a French fishing vessel. The French Fishing Vessel (FV) Cape Saint Vincent called for assistance late on the night of the 10th of
On Sunday 30 March, EU Naval Force French flagship, FS Siroco and the Japanese Navy destroyer, JDS Samidare met at sea in the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese Commander of Escort Division 4, Captain Hiroaki Tajiri and members of his staff took the opportunity to visit the Operation Atalanta Force Comman
The Spanish OPV ‘Tornado’ has arrived in Las Palmas Military Arsenal after a four-month deployment participating in operation ‘Atalanta’ fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean. The welcoming ceremony on April 2 was presided over by the Chief of the Canary Islands Naval Command, Rear-admiral Manuel de
The Spanish frigate ‘Álvaro de Bazán’ (F-101) has arrived in Ferrol after 179 days out of her home port, integrated into the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2). During this deployment the F-101 participated in operation ‘Active Endeavour’ fighting terrorism in the Mediterranean Sea and the coun
On 16th March the Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean visited the Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel, ESPS Relampago for the first time since the ship arrived in the piracy high risk area. ESPS Relampago joined Operation Atalanta, the EU
It’s not every day that passengers on board a civilian cruise liner would get so close to a warship on operations that they could wave to each other, but this is just what happened last week when the German cruise liner, AIDAdiva, with over 2,000 passengers on board, met German frigate FGS Hessen at
Ahead of Chinese President Xi’s visit to the European Union in Brussels, a significant naval exercise has taken place in the Gulf of Aden to demonstrate the growing cooperation between the EU and China on issues of international security and defence. EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco and FGS Hess
Korea Opts for Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II Aircraft The Republic of Korea has formally selected the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II aircraft for its F-X fighter acquisition program. USS Elrod Takes Over Escort Duties of Libyan Seized Tanker The U.S. Navy’s USS Elrod relieved the USS Stout of
Rear-admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2) currently participating in operation ‘Ocean Shield’ fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean, welcomed Rear-admiral Kevin M. Sweeney, Commander of the U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 10. The two flagships, the Sp
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has deployed a task group in support of international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden for the fifth time. Led by Colonel Cheong Kwok Chien, the 151-strong SAF task group comprises the Republic of Singapore Navy Formidable-class stealth frigate, RSS Tenacio
HMAS Darwin has seized and destroyed more than three tonnes of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of $137 million dollars. The drugs were found hidden aboard a skiff in the Gulf of Aden on 16 March 2014. HMAS Darwin is currently deployed on patrol under the control of the Combined Marit
The search for the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which lost radar signal in the early hours of Saturday, when it was flying over the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area in Vietnam, is intensively underway. Nine countries are contributing to the search 24/7 across the South China Sea for the ai
