“Not only must we tackle the pirates at sea, when they are ready to strike, but also on land, where their criminal networks are based. In that way, we – and not the pirates – will gain the initiative”, argued Minister of Defence Hans Hillen in Brussels during a meeting with his European Union counte
Austal has announced the mooring of the US Navy’s Research Vessel ROGER REVELLE (AGOR 24) at its Marine Support Base in Henderson, Western Australia. Owned by the US Office of Naval Research and operated by the Scripps Institute of Oceanography, the 274 foot (84 meter) ship is pierside for maintenan
EU Counter Piracy Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) have tracked down and stopped a group of suspected pirates who were believed to have tried to attack a Hong-Kong flagged tanker approximately 400 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. EU Naval Force warship FS Aconit was called to investigate after the ta
On the 26 March 2012, the EU Naval Force Flagship ESPS Patino located a Yemeni registered dhow that was suspected of being involved in acts of piracy off the Somali coast. The previous day a merchant vessel had reported that it had evaded an attack by two skiffs. As she was close by, ESPS Patino [&h
In Oct 2012, Ukrainian Navy’s airplane An-26 will join EU Operation Atalanta conducted off Somalia to counter piracy, reports Ukrinform referring to Vasily Filipchuk, Director of Political Dept, Ukrainian Foreign Ministry. As for him, “Ukrainian naval airplane An-26 will be dispatched to the mission
UGL Limited announced that Babcock Pty Ltd (Babcock) and UGL Infrastructure Pty Ltd will form a Special Purpose Vehicle, Naval Ship Management (Australia) Pty Ltd (NSM(Aust)), an incorporated 50:50 joint venture, to provide Naval surface ship repair and maintenance services for the ANZAC Ship Group
French Navy command and replenishment ship FS MARNE left Toulon on 25 March and is heading towards the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, with the future EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Dupuis and his staff on board. The FS MARNE carries a complement of 215 personnel on board, among whom are
On Monday 26th March one of Portugal’s largest warships, the Vasco de Gama Class frigate NRP CORTE REAL added its name to the list of EU ships (EUNAVFOR) operating in the Horn of Africa. It will set out immediately on its mission to counter piracy and protect World Food Program (WFP) shipments to So
Russia protects regime of Syrian president Assad because it is afraid of losing naval bases in Latakia and Tartus, writes president of Eurasia Group Ian Bremmer in his article published by The Financial Times. If Assad’s regime falls down, Russia may direct its eyes, say, to Greece which urgently ne
As of 23 March 2012 the Counter-Piracy force of the European Union (EUNAVFOR) which normally includes between 4 and 7 warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa will be joined by two new warships of the French navy; Frigate FS GEORGES LEYGUES and Amphibious Assault Ship FS DIXMUDE. FS G
On Friday 23 March 2012 the Council of the European Union confirmed its intention to extend the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) counter-piracy mission, Operation ATALANTA off the Somali coast until December 2014. At the same time the Council also extended the area of operations to include Somali coastal
The Royal Australian Navy (RAN) is on track to prove its mission readiness this month as its Fleet embarks on the second week of an intensive three week training exercise being conducted off the coast of Western Australia. HMA Ships Ballarat, Newcastle, Perth, Sirius, Warramunga and Collins are taki
A media day was held onboard the EU Naval Force Spanish flagship, ESPS PATIÑO alongside Mombasa Port on Thursday 15 March. The event was hosted by the EU Naval Force Commander, Rear Admiral Jorge Manso and the EU’s Head of Delegation in Kenya, Mr. Loedwijk Briet. They were also accompanied at the Me
The U.S. Navy has issued a Lockheed Martin-led industry team a $715 million contract modification to add funding for construction of two Littoral Combat Ships (LCS) – the third and fourth in a 10-ship contract awarded in December 2010. The contract modification is for construction of Little Rock (LC
