ADV Ocean Shield arrived at Geraldton, Western Australia, yesterday to begin preparations to receive spare parts related to the transponder mounted on the Ocean Shield and the transponder mounted on the Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Bluefin-21. The repairs are necessary to correct a hardware issu
Royal Australian Navy patrol boat HMAS Wollongong has made a mercy dash to embark two injured Australians who were rescued by an Indonesian merchant vessel in the Arafura Sea. An Indonesian registered civilian offshore supply ship, MV POSH Shearwater, initially responded to a vessel in distress ca
The Royal Australian Navy’s Fleet Base West based operational tanker, HMAS Sirius, entered Sydney Harbour this week as part of a visit to Garden Island on the east coast. At over 190m in length, and displacing more than 46,000 tonnes with a full load, Sirius is currently the largest ship in the Na
The Chief of Navy of the Royal Australian Navy (RAN), Vice-Admiral (VADM) Ray Griggs, was conferred Singapore’s prestigious military award, the Pingat Jasa Gemilang (Tentera) [or the Meritorious Service Medal (Military)] by President Tony Tan Keng Yam. Minister for Defence Dr Ng Eng Hen presented
The Autonomous Underwater Vehicle, Bluefin-21, has been recovered about two hours into its first mission since returning to the search area so a communications problem could be investigated. During the recovery, Bluefin-21 was damaged but was able to be repaired expeditiously with spare parts on b
HMAS Darwin operating in the Indian Ocean in international waters, 40 nautical miles off the east coast of Somalia, intercepted a suspected drug smuggling dhow on 13 May 2014, seizing 449 kilograms of heroin with an estimated street value of $132 million dollars. Darwin’s Commanding Officer, Comma
The Contact Group on Piracy off the coast of Somalia (CGPCS) will hold its Sixteenth Plenary Session at the UN Headquarters in New York on 14 May 2014, under the Chairmanship of the European Union. The meeting will focus on three major policy areas: (i) capacity building in the region off the coas
After three months of contributing in the fight against piracy with the EU Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta, the Hellenic warship HS Psara heads home to Greece. It was the second time HS Psara has participated in the Counter-Piracy Operation Atalanta as she previously joined the EU Naval For
More than 1 000 Canadian sailors, soldiers, airmen and airwomen will participate in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC), the world’s premier combined and joint maritime exercise, from June 26 to August 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. Canadian participation underlines the strategic importance of the
In April, a group of 23 indigenous recruits from some of the most remote northern parts of Australia visited HMAS Watson as a part of the Defence Indigenous Development Program (DIDP). Aside from having an opportunity to see what is arguably the best view in the country, the goal of their visit wa
During the recent port visit of the EU Naval Force Flagship FGS Brandenburg to Dar Es Salaam joint training was delivered by EUCAP Nestor and EU Naval Force to 31 Tanzanian professionals dealing with maritime safety and security. Personnel from the Tanzanian Police and Navy were trained in two sub
The US Naval Sea Systems Command has signed a USD 30.8 million contract with Arizona-based Raytheon Missile Systems. Under the deal, the contractor will provide MK 698 test sets with Evolved Seasparrow Missile and Standard Missile test capability, upgrade kits, installation kits, repair tool kits,
FGS Brandenburg, the Flagship of EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta has conducted a port visit to the port of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. The visit coincided with the worldwide Europe Day Celebrations celebrated on the anniversary of the Schuman declaration in 1950. Several events
Nigerian Navy Receives Former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter The U.S. Coast Guard and the Nigerian Navy held a ceremony Wednesday in North Charleston to officially sign the decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin over to the Nigerian Navy. The Gallatin was offered to Nigeria April 24, 2013, through the