On Monday 31st March, the Royal Navy took a major step forward in developing a framework to allow Unmanned Underwater Vehicles (UUVs) to be deployed from its anti-submarine warfare warships. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Service and the National Oceanography Centre (NOC) was signed whi
Last week German Navy frigate, FGS Brandenburg, completed her transit through the Suez Canal and the Red Sea towards the waters of the Gulf of Aden to start counter piracy operations with the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. The Suez Canal, which is 162 kilometres in length is an extrem
On Sunday 30 March, EU Naval Force French flagship, FS Siroco and the Japanese Navy destroyer, JDS Samidare met at sea in the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese Commander of Escort Division 4, Captain Hiroaki Tajiri and members of his staff took the opportunity to visit the Operation Atalanta Force Comman
On Wednesday 2 April, German Navy frigate, FGS Hessen departed the waters of the Gulf of Aden and headed for home after completing four months of counter piracy patrols with the EU Naval Force. After a short port stop in Malaga, Spain, FGS Hessen will arrive in her home port in Wilhelmshaven on Th
The frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ and the OPV ‘Relámpago’ visited Doha (Qatar) during the Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition and Conference (DIMDEX 2014) Both warships made the most of their scheduled port calls in support of the national defense industry in what is considered the most imp
On 16th March the Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean visited the Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel, ESPS Relampago for the first time since the ship arrived in the piracy high risk area. ESPS Relampago joined Operation Atalanta, the EU
After two and a half years protecting the World Food Programme (WFP) ship, MV Caroline Scan, from pirate attack off the coast of Somalia, the EU Naval Force has bid the vessel and her hard-working crew a fond farewell. In April 2014, MV Caroline Scan will be entering a period of maintenance, so th
It’s not every day that passengers on board a civilian cruise liner would get so close to a warship on operations that they could wave to each other, but this is just what happened last week when the German cruise liner, AIDAdiva, with over 2,000 passengers on board, met German frigate FGS Hessen at
Ahead of Chinese President Xi’s visit to the European Union in Brussels, a significant naval exercise has taken place in the Gulf of Aden to demonstrate the growing cooperation between the EU and China on issues of international security and defence. EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco and FGS Hess
On Wednesday 26 March 2014, European Union Ambassadors met with the President of Puntland, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, and his Cabinet on board the French EU Naval Force flagship, FS Siroco, to discuss key issues related to political, security and development cooperation, and to participate in a speci
Lockheed Martin Mission Systems and Training has won a USD 93 million worth modification to previously awarded contract to exercise options for production of Aegis Ashore Missile Defense System (AAMDS) in Poland and to provide multi-year procurement funding for Aegis Weapon System (AWS) MK 7 equipme
On Tuesday 18 March, three EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco, FGS Hessen and ESPS Relampago gathered in the Gulf of Aden for a joint replenishment at sea (RAS) with the American logistics ship, USNS Pecos from Task Force 53. Ships from Task Force 53 provide regular replenishment support to the Euro
One of the key elements of the EU Naval Force’s counter-piracy operation in the waters of the Horn of Africa is the Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA). These long-range, capable aircraft conduct aerial patrols over the sea areas where pirates are known to operate and can provide earl
The two Spanish Navy warships participated in NATO’s operation ‘Ocean Shield’ and EU’s operation ‘Atalanta’ fighting piracy off the coast of Somalia. They have both been relieved by other Spanish Navy ships in the port of Djibouti. The frigate ‘Álvaro de Bazán’ (F-101) has been relieved by her sis
