On 29 January 2013, during a port visit to Dar Es Salaam, Tanzania, Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes, the Force Commander of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), welcomed Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant on board his flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez. This is the first meeting between both admirals since Rear Admir
The UK Ministry of Defence (MoD) has confirmed its order for the next prototype stage of development of a revolutionary high performance, lightweight diesel engine intended for marine outboard applications on the fast, rigid inflatable boats used by the Royal Navy. The Cox Powertrain engine concept
The Ministry of Defence has today published details of how it will equip the Army, Royal Navy and Royal Air Force over the next 10 years and how this will be funded. For the first time, the government has set out a fully-funded Defence Equipment Plan totalling almost £160 billion. The affordability
The Royal Netherlands Airforce’s newest helicopter, the NH-90, is on its way to Somalia on board HNLMS De Ruyter. It is the first overseas mission in which the maritime on-board helicopter will take part. Although in its current configuration it will not be able to carry out all mission tasks, the N
Following an attack in early January on a merchant vessel 260 miles off the Somali Coast, twelve men suspected of committing an act of piracy, were transferred on January 25 by EU Naval Force warship FS Surcouf to the Mauritian authorities for prosecution. When the attack happened on 5th January, th
The Chief of the Defence Force, General David Hurley, has met with his counterparts from New Zealand and the United Kingdom for the biennial BRITANZ meeting, held on 23 January 2013. Following successful bilateral meetings in Canberra earlier this week, General Hurley accompanied UK Chief of Defence
The frigate HNLMS De Ruyter left her home port of Den Helder for counterpiracy operations in the waters around Somalia. For this mission, the EU’s Operation Atalanta, the ship is carrying the new NH-90 helicopter, which will see its first operational deployment. The air defence and command frigate h
The UK and Australia will strengthen their long-standing relationship today with a new defence treaty to provide a framework for the many strands of co-operation between the two countries. The treaty, to be signed in Perth today, Friday 18 January, with the Australian Defence Minister Stephen Smith,
Austal today welcomed a high profile defence delegation, including the United Kingdom’s Secretary of State for Defence, to its Western Australian facility. The Rt Hon Philip Hammond MP, the UK Secretary of State for Defence, was accompanied by Australia’s Minister for Defence, the Hon Stephen Smith,
On Wednesday 16 January 2013 Rear Admiral Duncan Potts handed over operational command of the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) to Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant. Rear Admiral Potts has commanded EU NAVFOR, the European Union’s counter piracy mission off Somalia, since August 2011. This period has wi
Early yesterday morning EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) warship FS Surcouf came to the rescue of ten mariners at sea 30 miles off the Somali Coast, after their boat, known as a dhow, started to sink into the deep ocean. The master of the Indian flagged dhow had sent out a distress call after the [&hellip
In the morning of 11th January 2013, the Force Commander of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes held a meeting on board his flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez with the Commander of the Combined Maritime counter-piracy task force, Commodore Muhammad Hisham SI (Pakistan Navy).
In the evening of 5th January, a merchant vessel sailing 260 miles off the Somali Coast, made a distress call, reporting that she was coming under attack by six men in a fast moving boat, armed with rocket propelled grenades. Thankfully, having employed avoidance tactics, the merchant vessel was abl
On January the 3rd the Combat Replenishment Ship Cantabria left La Graña Naval Port in Spain for a one year deployment to Australia. Admiral Jaime Muñoz-Delgado (Spanish Navy Chief of Staff) and Admiral Santiago Bolivar (Admiral of the Fleet) attended the farewell ceremony. During his speech, Admira
