German Navy tanker Spessart (A1442) is scheduled to return to Navy Base Kiel on August 26 after spending 88 days deployed to the EU-led counter-piracy operation Atalanta off the Horn of Africa. Once it enters the port, the tanker will have sailed a total of 24.830 nautical miles, equivalent to a sai
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
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
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 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
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
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
During FGS Bayern’s recent port visit to Djibouti, Operation Atalanta’s Force Commander, Rear Admiral Kaack, welcomed the Deputy Prime Minister of Somalia, Mohamed Omar Arte, on board. It was the first time that the Deputy Prime Minister has visited the German warship and he was received on board wi
In a close cooperation with EU’s counter-piracy operational headquarters, Chinese Navy warship CNS Xiangtan escorted World Food Programme vessel, Evangelia L, to the port of Berbera, Somaliland. Evangelia L had been chartered by the WFP to carry humanitarian aid to the Somali port. After phone calls
The EU Political and Security Committee on May 18 appointed Brigadier Robert Magowan, an officer from the British Royal Marines, as Operation Commander for the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. Brigadier Magowan is taking the place of Major General Martin Smith. He is expected to take up h
EU NAVFOR’s Operation Atalanta has welcomed back the Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria. The ship was previously deployed on Op Atalanta in 2011 and will be conducting counter-piracy patrols over the coming five months. ESPS Santa Maria has an embarked Seahawk helicopter on board, allowing her to
Rear Admiral Ken Cheong, Commander of Combined Task Force (CTF) 151, recently visited the EU NAVFOR’s operation Atalanta flagship, FGS Bayern in Salalah in the Gulf of Aden. Radm Cheong, who works for Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), met the Force Commander EU NAVFOR, Radm Jan Kaack, onboard FGS Baye
Crewmembers aboard the U.S. Navy’s hospital ship USNS Mercy (T-AH 19) recently participated in an abandon ship drill while in its homeport at Naval Base San Diego. Mercy is preparing for Pacific Partnership 2016, the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparednes
German Navy’s tanker support ship, FGS Spessart, joined Operation Atalanta on May 11, as part of Germany’s contribution to the EU’s efforts to deter and disrupt piracy off the coast of Somalia. The ship departed the Wilhelmshaven base and set sail for the Horn of Africa on April 15, 2016. Under the
