During his visit to Djibouti this week, the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, took the opportunity to visit the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, at sea in the Gulf of Aden. He was accompanied during the visit by the European Union Ambassador in Dj
HMAS Larrakia departed the port of Sandakan, Malaysian Borneo, on September 22, after a two-day stopover. The Armidale Class Patrol Boat, with Attack 4 embarked, is one week into a six-week South East Asian Deployment. After the necessary refueling and restoring at Sandakan, the crew took in some
In the early morning of Friday 19 September, EU Naval Force frigate, ESPS Navarra, came to the assistance of a stricken yacht in the Gulf of Aden. The yacht had been detected on the warship’s radar in the early morning. ESPS Navarra’s Bridge team initially tried to hail the yacht via their VHF rad
Following its successful participation in Multilateral Naval Exercise Kakadu 2014 in Australia and port visit to Surabaya, Indonesia, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16) arrived in Zamboanga, Philippines, yesterday for a “Show The Flag” mission which aims to uplift the sense of patriotism and bring national p
A combined Australian and New Zealand operation conducted 260 km off the coast of Africa has seized more than 5.6 tonnes of cannabis resin, worth an estimated $280 million (AUD). The five day operation involved the Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Toowoomba and a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K
After a hectic 24 hours storing and refuelling for the first leg of a six-week South East Asian deployment, HMAS Larrakia slipped out of Australian Darwin Naval Base on September 16. Attack 4 Commanding Officer, embarked in Larrakia, Lieutenant Commander David McPherson said his crew was looking f
Personnel from the Royal Australian Air Force’s No. 11 Squadron (11 SQN) have contributed to maritime surveillance in the Pacific as part of Operation Island Chief 2014. A RAAF AP-3C Orion with 13 members of 11 SQN’s Crew Five flew to Honiara in Solomon Islands to participate in the activity, whic
HMAS Toowoomba arrived in the Middle East Region (MER) on 10 August 2014 on Operation MANITOU for tasking within the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). Operation MANITOU is the Australian Government’s contribution to the international effort to promote maritime security, stability and prosperity in t
After its participation in the “Kakadu 2014” in Australia, BRP Ramon Alcaraz (PF-16), most modern warship of the Philippines, is now at the Surabaya Naval Base in Indonesia for a three-day port visit which is designed to promote naval diplomacy, camaraderie and foster goodwill with the Indonesian Na
Two Royal Australian Navy landing craft have delivered vital supplies to remote communities in Solomon Islands as part of Australia’s commitment to provide support to the region. HMA Ships Labuan and Tarakan transported education, medical and flood relief supplies from the capital Honiara to coast
On Saturday 13 September 2014 FGS Berlin conducted a RAS with Italian Navy destroyer, ITS Andrea Doria, the current flagship of the EU’s counter-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta. Before the RAS commenced, all the sailors involved were fully briefed on their duties and then ITS Andrea Doria made
Whilst conducting EU counter-piracy patrols in the Horn of Africa, the Belgian EU Naval Force frigate, BNS Leopold I, has conducted friendly approaches on a dhow and several skiffs near the Somali coast. The dhow was initially sighted by BNS Leopold I’s Alouette III helicopter during a reconnaissa
Austal Limited (Austal) has delivered Cape Nelson, the third of eight Cape Class Patrol Boats to the Australian Customs and Border Protection Service under a $330 million design, build and in-service support contract. Austal Chief Executive Officer Andrew Bellamy said it further demonstrated Austa
On Monday, 8 September, EU Naval Force Belgian frigate, BNS Leopold I, conducted a replenishment at sea with the German support ship FGS Berlin in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). As the ships sailed close to each other, maintenance equipment was transferred from FGS Berlin