Foreign Secretary William Hague thanked sailors on HMS Montrose for their efforts when he visited the Devonport-based frigate in South Africa. Mr Hague called on in on the warship in Simon’s Town as she paused her South Atlantic deployment briefly. The crew of HMS Montrose has been praised by the Fo
The first 13 days of January were busy ones for NATO’s counter piracy task force; they successfully stopped and disrupted three separate pirate groups from launching attacks on legitimate maritime traffic. In the first incident on Friday 6th January the USS CARNEY acting on intelligence from other c
USS Halsey (DDG 97) responded to a call of distress from M/V Albrouj, a Yemeni dhow that was en route to Somalia from Yemen, while the U.S. ship was conducting helicopter operations in the Gulf of Aden, Jan. 19. The guided-missile destroyer Halsey, which was two hours away from the position of the d
EU NAVFOR warship FGS LUEBECK re-located an Indian registered dhow which had been used as pirate mother-ship involved in the attack on M/V FLINTSTONE early the same day. A Dutch Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) stationed on the Dutch-registered civilian fall-pipe vessel had repelled the attack fol
It has been confirmed that the Spanish judicial authorities will prosecute the six Somali suspected pirates, who attacked the EU NAVFOR Flagship, the SPS PATINO on 12 January. Following receipt of the evidence package, the Spanish Audiencia Naciona has confirmed it will undertake judicial proceeding
At first light on 12 January 2012, having just completed the escort of a World Food Programme ship carrying food-aid into Somalia and while operating close to the Somali port of Mogadishu, the EU NAVFOR Flagship, the ESPS PATINO, was approached by one skiff with a group of suspected pirates onboard.
RFA Fort Victoria, a supply ship to the Royal Navy, has foiled an attempt by pirates to attack cargo ships in the Indian Ocean. On Tuesday, Somali pirates who have been holding Greek-owned chemical tanker Liquid Velvet to ransom since last November, attempted to sail the ship into international wate
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
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
Wednesday 9 November, the French frigate FS FLOREAL has integrated the EU NAVFOR Task Force 465. FS FLOREAL is a 93.5 meter long frigate based on the French island “La Réunion” and has a displacement of 2950 t when fully loaded. She has a crew of just under 100 and is equipped with a Panther [&helli
On September 29 the EU NAVFOR warship FGS KÖLN located and destroyed a suspicious whaler close to a beach off Somalia, 100 nautical miles SW of Mogadishu. A helicopter was dispatched to inspect and found the whaler loaded with equipment usually related to piracy on board. No crew was seen on board.
HMS Edinburgh and her ship’s company recently visited Cape Town on a two-week maintenance stop during patrol operations in the South Atlantic. Naval airmen from the Portsmouth-based destroyer’s embarked Lynx helicopter had the opportunity to take in stunning views of Table Mountain while the ship un
DCNS and KND have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) for the promotion, construction and sale of offshore patrol vessels ( OPV s) in South Africa. The Gowind OPV leverages the most innovative technologies to ensure the success of maritime safety & security (MSS) and counterpiracy missions. D
U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) aided a stranded Somali skiff and returned it to shore, Aug. 13. On Aug. 12, a SH-60B helicopter from the Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron, Light (HSL) 46 ‘Grandmasters,’ assigned to Anzio, spotted the small skiff approximately 45 miles from shore
