Business & Finance
German frigate ‘Bayern’ returns from counter-piracy deployment
German Navy’s Brandenburg-class frigate FGS Bayern is set to return from the operation Atalanta on August 20 after spending almost six months off the Horn of Africa combating piracy. By leaving the mission area, the frigate has also concluded the German contribution to the mission. FGS Bayern’s plac
QinetiQ joins UK’s Dstl at Unmanned Warrior
British technology company QinetiQ has been contracted by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory (Dstl) of the UK Ministry of Defence to stage a demonstration of unmanned and autonomous systems during the Royal Navy’s Unmanned Warrior event. The demonstration, dubbed Hell Bay 4, will see a va
International maritime force commanders meet off Somali coast
Whilst on counter-piracy patrol off the coast of Somalia recently, operation Atalanta’s Force Commander hosted the Commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, Rear Admiral Nam of the Republic of Korea (ROK) Navy. The ROK Admiral was welcomed aboard Operation Atalanta’s Dutch flagship, HNLMS Tromp, b
FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to join Op Sophia in September
German Navy’s F123 Brandenburg-class frigate FGS Mecklenburg-Vorpommern will depart her homeport in Willhelmshaven on August 16 to join the EU mission against human trafficking in the Mediterranean Sea. Mecklenburg-Vorpommern is expected to join the EUNAVFOR Op Sophia at the beginning of September,
Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp returns to Africa and Operation Atalanta
Operation Atalanta welcomed back Dutch frigate HNLMS Tromp to the EU Naval Force off the coast of Somalia on August 6. Tromp’s crew departed their home port of Den Helder in the Netherlands on July 20 to join the mission for a second time as the frigate was part of Operation Atalanta back in 2010. I
German tanker Spessart departs EU mission off Africa
German Navy’s Rhön-class tanker FGS Spessart has left the EU Naval Force and Operation Atalanta fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia. The ship spent eighty eight days and sailed over 13,600 nautical miles after leaving Wilhelmshaven navy base on April 18. The EU naval task force is deployed to t
British mine experts observe Japanese 2JA 2016 exercise
Royal Navy mine disposal experts watched their Japanese counterparts work during the large-scale exercise 2JA 2016. Two British observers joined the Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force at its major annual test of its minehunting forces in Mutsu Bay at the northern tip of main island of Honshu. Some
U.K. MoD to grant first £1bn for first Successor submarine
UK’s Ministry of Defence is considering granting over £1 billion to Rolls-Royce and BAE Systems so they can start building the first of four Successor ballistic missile submarines. According to a report by The Financial Times, the Ministry might allocate approx. $1.3 billion of funds as early as Sep
Raytheon awarded funds to improve MK-31 RAM missile
The U.S. Naval Sea Systems Command has awarded Raytheon Missile Systems a $36.6 million cost-plus-fixed-fee contract option for design agent and engineering support services for the Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) upgraded MK-31 Guided Missile Weapon System improvement program. The MK-31 RAM Guided M
Migrant crisis: German minehunter rescues 133 off Tripoli coast
German Navy minehunter FGS Datteln rescued 133 migrants 75 kilometers north-west of Tripoli, Libya on August 1. The ship was initially tasked by the Force Headquarters to neutralize two empty rubber boats. While doing so, the ship’s crew spotted an overcrowded rubber boat in the vicinity. Upon rescu
Operation Atalanta welcomes new Deputy Operation Commander
On Friday 29 July 2016 Rear Admiral Jonas Wikstrӧm (Swedish Navy) handed over the role of Deputy Operation Commander (DCOM) of the European Union’s counter-piracy operation off the coast of Somalia to Rear Admiral Cristobal Gonzalez-Aller (Spanish Navy). The handover took place at the operational He
Multi-Ship refueling keeps Operation Atalanta warships on patrol
Operation Atalanta’s warships are deployed off the coast of Somalia to ensure that the pirate attacks that terrorized seafarers in the Indian Ocean and Gulf of Aden for a number of years are not allowed to resurge. In order to ensure that the EU NAVFOR warships are able to maintain their counter-pir
Royal Navy nuclear submarine collides with merchant vessel off Gibraltar
HMS Ambush, a nuclear-powered Astute-class submarine, collided with a merchant vessel off Gibraltar on July 20, the Royal Navy confirmed in a statement. According to the Navy, the submarine suffered some external damage but there is “absolutely no damage” to her nuclear plant and no member of the sh
Spanish frigate trains with Seychelles Coast Guard, Air Force
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria recently enjoyed a break from her counter-piracy patrolling under Operation Atalanta and had five days alongside in Port Victoria, the capital of the Seychelles, on Mahe Island. Whilst there, the crew of ESPS Santa Maria took the opportunity to conduct training