One French ship was replaced by another in the Mediterranean Sea operation Sophia after FS Commandant Bouan took over from FS Commandant Ducuing on February 6. Both ships are D’Estienne d’Orves-class avisos most commonly used for anti-submarine defence and high sea escort missions. Commandant Ducuin
Royal Navy patrol ship HMS Mersey returmed home to Portsmouth on Friday completing a 13-month mission supporting efforts to tackle people trafficking and drug smuggling. The River-class patrol ship left Portsmouth in January 2016, heading for the Caribbean before travelling east to the Mediterranean
The U.S. Navy’s Office of Naval Research (ONR) is funding the development of an underwater robotic explosive ordnance disposal device that will keep divers out of harm’s way. The contract award was announced by RE2 Robotics, a developer of robotic manipulator arms, which has received a small busines
A patrol boat that served in the Royal Australian Navy was already 30 years when it started service in 1942. Over a century later, the boat is still sailing. Former HMAS Riawe was built in 1912 by well-known Tasmanian shipwright EA ‘Ned’ Jack, at his boatyard on the Tamar River near Launceston, as a
Royal Australian Navy landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberra loaded Project Land 400 contenders for a round of trials late last year. The Land 400 project will acquire and support the next generation of armored fighting vehicles which will be required to perform up to seven different combat roles, co
The crew of Royal Australian Navy’s Armidale-class patrol boat made history on February 2 after intercepting a smuggling boat with approximately 1422 kilograms (1.4 tonnes) on board. According to the Australian Department of Immigration and Border Protection, this is the largest cocaine interception
During her port call in Adelaide, Italian FREMM frigate ITS Carabiniere welcomed the Australian minister for defense Christopher Pyne on board on February 5. Pyne toured the Italian frigate ITS Carabiniere as it visited South Australia on a four-month deployment to the Asia-Pacific to support naval
Navy ships from Australia, Great Britain, France and the U.S. concluded their participation in the multi-national exercise Unified Trident that was held in the Persian Gulf. More than 15 ships, plus numerous aircraft from the four navies completed many different evolutions from January 31 to Februar
Strategic Marine announced it has teamed up with Abu Dhabi Ship Building PJSC (ADSB) to develop the Middle East’s growing market of aluminium vessels. Strategic and ADSB have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) to create tenders for a variety of aluminium vessels using Strategic Marine’s desi
Thales Australia has been awarded a contract for in service support of Royal Australian Navy’s Armidale-class patrol boats. The contract is potentially worth over AU$55 million per annum and will start on July 1, 2017. The five-year contract contains possible rolling-wave term extensions out to at l
Ultra Electronics Avalon Systems will receive $1.7 million of Australian government funding to develop and demonstrate new ship-defense technologies, Australian minister for defense industry Christopher Pyne announced on Thursday. Minister Pyne said this innovation project would develop techniques t
The crew of Spanish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel ESPS Relampago took part in a range of maritime training exercises with the Seychelles Maritime Police, Coastguard and Air force during their visit to the Seychelles. The first day of training focused on briefings about search and rescue (SAR) proced
The Royal Australian Navy honored HMAS Darwin as its most senior commissioned ship with a newly created perpetual trophy dubbed the ‘First Lady of the Fleet’. The idea for the trophy was developed by Fleet Command Warrant Officer Stephen Downey. He said with new ships coming online, the award recogn
Maritime law and operations training that EU and Libyan Navy and Coast Guard started in October 2016 entered the second phase on January 30, EUNAVFOR announced. Delivered by EUNAVFOR’s Mediterranean Sea mission called operation called Sophia, the training will continue in a maritime training centre
