When Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjéan took over the Force Headquarters of the EU Operation Atalanta on Friday 6 December, one of his first actions was to meet with the Force Commanders of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), Commodore Aage Buur Jensen, and NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield, Rear Admiral Eugeni
On Friday morning 13 December 2013, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean, who is the EU Force Commander for Operation Atalanta warships conducting counter piracy patrols off the Somali coast, visited Federal German Ship (FGS) Hessen. After being flown on board FGS Hessen by the German warship’s Sea Lynx MK-88
On Friday 13 December EU Naval Force frigate, ITS Libeccio came to the assistance of a Yemeni fishing dhow that was sailing along the Somali coast with 38 people on board. Due to poor weather conditions, one of two skiffs that were being towed astern of the dhow had capsized and started to sink. Ful
On Sunday, 15 December 2013, EU Naval Force French flagship, FS Siroco hosted a meeting with Somaliland representatives, including Vice President Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici. “We welcome this engagement with EUCAP Nestor as it will pave the way for technical cooperation in the field of mar
Last Monday 9 December, EU Naval Force flagship FS Siroco came to the assistance of seafarers who had been adrift at sea for more than two days after their boat suffered engine failure. The seafarers, who were very tired and hungry attracted the attention of the French warship, which was conducting
On Wednesday 11 December, Spanish EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) ship ESPS Tornado completed a three day escort of a World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel. The WFP ship was escorted by ESPS Tornado from Mombasa to the port of Kismayo in Somalia. During the escort, members of the Spanish Navy crew
On December 10, the servicemen of the national contingent of the Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaydachnyi, led by Rear Admiral Andriy Tarasov flew on Ka-27 helicopter to the Spanish Frigate Alvaro de Bazan (F101) where they got acquainted with the new Commander of NATO’s Tactical Group of Ships, Rear A
On Friday 6 December 2013, the French Navy ship FS Siroco joined the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. FS Siroco will be the flagship of the European Union’s counter piracy operation off the coast of Somalia for the next four months. Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean is the Force Comma
Italian warship ITS Libeccio has reached the half way point in its four month deployment with the European Union Naval Force, operating off Somalia. ITS Libeccio, which has 237 sailors on board, took over counter piracy duties from another Italian warship, ITS Zeffiro on 6 October 2013. Having now s
Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaydachnyi, participating in the NATO Ocean Shield counter-piracy operation, completed its fourth patrolling in the Gulf of Aden and on December 4 the ship entered the Salalah port (Oman). On this occasion, some servicemen got awards for their decisive actions and professi
On Friday 6 December, Commodore Peter Lenselink (Royal Netherlands Navy) handed over the Force Command of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta to Contre Amiral Hervé Bléjean (French Navy) during a Change of Command ceremony held on board HNLMS Johan de Witt in the Port of Djibouti.
Last week, two ships from Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) passed through the Suez Canal en route to taking command of NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD. SNMG2 flagship ESPS ALVARO DE BAZAN and Turkish frigate TCG GELIBOLU will soon join the Ukraine frigate UPS HETMAN SAGAIDACHNY
Fire aboard Indian Navy Ship Indian Navy warship INS Konkan caught fire during repair in Vizag on Wednesday, as informed by the Indian Express. INS Konkan, a Pondicherry class minesweeper acquired from Russia, was undergoing a refit at naval base Vizag when the accident occurred. Australian Warships
On Tuesday 3 December, Spanish Ocean Patrol Vessel, ESPS Tornado joined the European Union’s counter piracy task force operating off the coast of Somalia. The warship will be part of the EU Naval Force for four months as Spain’s contribution to Operation Atalanta. Commissioned in 2012, ESPS Tornado
