Rear Admiral Rando visited Brigadier-General Philippe Montocchio, the Commander of French Forces in Djibouti. They both discussed the current piracy situation in the Gulf of Aden. During the meeting Rear Admiral Rando said: A lot has been done, but we have to maintain focus as piracy is not yet erad
On 30 November 2014 Royal Netherlands Navy warship, HNLMS Van Speijk and Belgian Navy warship, BNS Leopold I, completed their tour of duty with the EU Naval Force off the coast of Somalia. HNLMS Van Speijk joined the EU Naval Force on 24th August and during the last three months she has completed a
Over the past few weeks, the EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Navarra, has carried out several friendly approaches to fishing dhows off the northern coast of Somalia. After sighting several fishing dhows, the Spanish frigate established communications with the masters. After a short conversation, the Ma
The Republic of Madagascar welcomed the EU Naval Force German frigate, FGS Luebeck, and her crew in to the port of Antsiranana on Monday, 24 November. As a German warship has not visited Madagascar for some time, the German Ambassador, His Excellency Harald Gehrig and FGS Lubeck’s Commanding Officer
During their recent port visit to Dar es Salaam, the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria conducted Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) training with personnel from the Tanzanian People’s Defence Force. The training included briefings on the procedures for handling Improvised Explosive Devi
The Republic of Korea’s Director General for International Policy, the Honorable Jeong Kyu Lee, led a delegation of officials visiting NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to meet with MARCOM Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Giorgio Lazio and discuss issues of shared importance and opportunities for coo
On Tuesday 25 November the outgoing 20th Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft Contingent held a Transfer of Authority (TOA) ceremony with the 21st Contingent team to hand over their counter-piracy duties in the Horn of Africa. The ceremony took place at the French Air Base in Djibouti. The military cere
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, visited the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu, at the IMO headquarters in London on Wednesday 26 November. Meeting to discuss the current situation off the Horn of Africa
During the last week EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Navarra, invited local Somali leaders on board in order to help build relations between the EU Naval Force and the Somali people. After being welcomed on board, the Somalis were given an insight into the EU’s Operation Atalanta, that is helping to ma
On 19 and 20 November, during her recent port visit to Dar Es Salam, EU Naval Force warship BNS Leopold I hosted members of the Tanzanian Navy in support of EUCAP Nestor’s initiative to conduct Local Maritime Capability Building (LMCB). On the first day, BNS Leopold I’s crew organised several worksh
During their recent port visit to Djibouti, Dutch warship HNLMS van Speijk hosted a visit from the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management, or CIVCOM, which is an advisory body within the European Union dealing with crisis management. The delegation consisted, amongst others, of sixteen
The Council has extended the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta by two more years, until 12 December 2016. The Operation’s main focus is the protection of World Food Programme vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Somalia; and the deterrence, repression and disruption of piracy off the Somali c
The future Commander of Combined Maritime Forces Task Force 150 (CTF-150), Commodore Brian Santarpia (CAN N), visited NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to discuss coordination and interaction with NATO forces in the Indian Ocean. During the visit, Commodore Santarpia met with MARCOM Deputy Comma
Australian Defence Force vessels and aircraft have completed monitoring a Russian Surface Task Group that was operating in the Coral Sea to Australia’s north. The Russian ships did not enter Australian territorial waters and have now departed the Coral Sea. The flotilla included Russian Federation S
