French Navy’s Foudre-class amphibious assault ship Siroco (L9012) officially deployed on Sunday, February 8, from Mindelo, Cape Verde. This is the vessel’s tenth deployment in less than twenty years of active service. In Mindelo, the vessel was supplied with equipment necessary for cooperation missi
On Tuesday 10 February, Royal Netherlands Navy warship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, joined the EU Naval Force. The warship, which is a Landing Platform Dock, will be deployed in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for three months as the EU Naval Force flagship. It will accommodate the Force Headquarters sta
On 5 February, while conducting maritime security and counter-terrorism operations under Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) counter-piracy task force CTF-150 in the Gulf of Aden, the French frigate Guépratte quickly responded to an incident, transporting a critically injured seafarer to Djibouti. At 9:2
On Sunday 7 February 2015, the EU Naval Force counter-piracy flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, provided urgent medical assistance to an injured seafarer, who had suffered a serious burns injury whilst at sea in his cargo ship in the Gulf of Aden. The cargo ship, which was transiting through the Internatio
Turkish Navy’s Corvette TCG Buyukada (F-512) joined NATO’s counter piracy Operation Ocean Shield on Friday, February 6. The ship will conduct regular counter piracy patrols in Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean and provide support to NATO’s regional capacity building efforts in order to enhance interoper
On Thursday 29 January the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, welcomed the Commander of the Korean Escort Task Group 17 and Commanding Officer of ROKS Dae Jo Yeong, Captain Sun-Woo Hwang, on board the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria. Both Forces are conducting counter-piracy ope
On Friday 30 January the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, visited the Commander of the Chinese Escort Task Group 547, Rear Admiral Jiang Gouping, on board the Chinese flagship, CNS Linyi. Rear Admiral Rando was accompanied by the Commanding Officer of the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS An
The Type 23 Frigate HMS Kent has started 2015 by stepping up the fight against international terrorism. Having spent the end of 2014 working with the carrier task group of the USS Carl Vinson, in the Middle East, the Portsmouth-based warship’s focus for 2015 has shifted to the Indian Ocean and keepi
A key role for the EU Naval Force is to protect World Food Programme (WFP) vessels carrying humanitarian aid to the Somali people from possible pirate attack. On Monday 22 December the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, took on the important duty of escorting WFP ship, MV Liberty, 500 nautic
Sailors, Airmen, Royal Marines and Medics are stepping up their efforts to help youngsters orphaned by Ebola in Sierra Leone – without even leaving their ship. The 350 Naval Servicemen and women aboard aid ship RFA Argus are rowing the distance from the ship’s home in Falmouth to Freetown – donating
During the morning of 19th December, EU Naval Force Warship, ESPS Rayo, and the South Korean destroyer, ROKS Daejoyeong, met at sea to to enhance the relationship between EU Naval Force warships and those of other task forces operating in the area. ROKS Daejoyeong, whose main task is to escort convo
More than 16,000 people in Sierra Leone have food for a month thanks to a three-day mission by Britain’s Armed Forces to islands cut off from the rest of the country by the Ebola outbreak. Royal Navy helicopters and Royal Marines landing craft delivered 220 tonnes of food for the United Nations to r
On Monday 8 December Spanish warship ESPS Rayo joined the EU Naval Force. The ship will be deployed at sea in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for the next 6 months. Following an intense period of operational sea training, ESPS Rayo departed her home port of Las Palmas on 17 November, with an [&hel
On Friday 5 December EU Naval Force Spanish frigate, ESPS Navarra, rendezvoused at sea with the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, off the coast of Somalia. After sailing near to each other, the Commanding Officer of ESPS Navarra, Commander Alejandro Cuerda Lorenzo, and two Spanish journalis