The Egyptian Navy’s third Gowind 2500 corvette Al-Moez (981) was launched in a ceremony at the Alexandria shipyard on May 12. In addition to being the third unit in the class, Al-Moez is the second of a total of four ships to be built locally by Egypt. The first unit, ENS El Fateh, was delivered [&h
Royal Navy Type 45 destroyer HMS Dragon has seized £1.6m of narcotics on the infamous ‘smack track’ – the heroin smuggling route between the Makran Coast of Iran and Pakistan and East Africa. Less than two weeks after seizing three tons of cannabis on the so-called ‘hash highway’, the Portsmouth-bas
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) trained with Egyptian Navy vessels after concluding a visit to the Egyptian Navy base in Alexandria on December 4. Although hampered by the weather conditions, the passing exercise consisted of a tactical maneuvering exercise, helicopter operatio
French shipbuilder Naval Group officially opened Alexandria Naval for Maintenance and Industry, its Egyptian subsidiary which will be responsible for the maintenance of Egyptian Navy vessels built and delivered by Naval Group. “The strategic alliance between Naval Group and Egypt contributes activel
The Egyptian Navy has signed an in-service support agreement with Naval Group for the upkeep of Egyptian Navy vessels delivered by the French shipbuilder. The agreement was announced on December 3 at the Egypt Defense and Security Exhibition (EDEX) and lays ground to the contract framing the mainten
On August 29, 2018, the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF)’s JS Akebono and the Spanish Navy’s ESPS Castilla conducted a passage exercise (PASSEX) in the Gulf of Aden. JS Akebono (DD-108) and ESPS Castilla (L52) are flagships under the command of Combined Task Force (CTF151) and the European
Spanish helicopter carrier ESPS Juan Carlos I and frigate ESPS Blaz de Lezo met up with EUNAVFOR units in the Red Sea recently as they transit towards the Persian Gulf. The multi-purpose amphibious assault ship and F-100 class air defense frigate are deployed as part of a Spanish Navy operation call
A Spanish offshore patrol vessel replaced an auxiliary oiler as the Spanish Navy contribution to the counter-piracy effort off the Horn of Africa – operation Atalanta. On April 21, oiler ESPS Patino left the Somali basin after five months of operations as part of the EUNAVFOR-led operation. Filling
US Navy amphibious assault ship USS Iwo Jima (LHD 7) and dock landing ship USS Oak Hill (LSD 51) arrived in Aqaba, Jordan on Sunday, April 15, ahead of the start of the joint US-Jordanian exercise Eager Lion 2018. The two ships arrived with components of the 26th Marine Expeditionary Unit for an exe
US Navy and Marine Corps have cancelled the Alligator Dagger amphibious drill taking place off Djibouti after two back-to-back aircraft crashes. In addition to halting Alligator Dagger maneuvers, the US Naval Forces Central Command also cancelled all air operations in Djibouti after two separate avi
US Marines embarked aboard French amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014) concluded ten days of amphibious operations in the vicinity of Djibouti during the Alligator Dagger exercise. US marines and sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Ma
After concluding several days of drills with the Egyptian Navy, the French task group composed of helicopter carrier BPC Tonnerre and destroyer FS Chevalier Paul pulled into Aqaba, Jordan, to embark US Marines on December 4. The French Task Group 473.1, together with sailors and marines from Naval A
The crew of the Italian Navy frigate ITS Virginio Fasan has arrested six pirates and seized their vessels after a chase in the Southern Somali Basin over the weekend. The suspected pirates were apprehended after they attacked a 52,000 tonne container ship and a fishing vessel on November 17 and 18.
French Navy frigate FS Auvergne docked in the Western Australian port of Freemantle on November 15, four months into her maiden operational deployment. Departing her homeport of Toulon with an embarked NH90 helicopter in August, the FREMM frigate spent most of the time in the Indian Ocean, as part o
