On 18 July the Force Commanders of the three international Counter-Piracy task forces, the EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR), NATO Operation Ocean Shield (TF-508) and Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151; operated by the Combined Maritime Forces – CMF) met on board the NATO flagshi
HMS Diamond has taken her place among the international naval effort determined to stamp out criminal activity on the seas east of Suez. The state-of-the-art destroyer has relieved her sister HMS Daring as the latest Royal Navy warship serving with the 26-nation Combined Maritime Forces, sailing in
Survey ship HMS Echo has discovered an underwater mountain the size of the Rock of Gibraltar as she sailed through poorly-mapped waters in the Red Sea. The ship came across the huge feature while searching for volcanoes on the seabed – and also located a WW2 wreck off the Libyan coast as her 19-mont
A delegation of senior officials from the NATO headquarters International Staff and International Military Staff visited the flagship of Operation Ocean Shield in the Gulf of Aden earlier this week. On board the Dutch Frigate Evertsen, the delegation was shown a range of counter-piracy capabilities
On the afternoon of 4 July, in the rough seas of the Gulf of Aden, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Italian Frigate Scirocco rescued a Comoros flagged supply vessel which had been adrift and in total black out for more than 13 hours. The entire operation lasted in excess of 24 hours and was conducted [&he
On July 1, HNLMS Evertsen, the flagship of NATO’s counterpiracy mission Ocean Shield, handed over 7 Somalis suspected of piracy to the Royal Navy of Oman. The suspects and all of the evidence were transferred to the Omani navy ship RNOV Al Muazzar (C32). The suspects were apprehended in the morning
On the morning of June 28th 2012, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Italian Frigate Scirocco provided technical assistance to a tug type vessel which experienced an engine failure while sailing in international waters in the Gulf of Aden. In the evening on the 27th of June, ITS Scirocco was conducting a pa
Two days after HNLMS Evertsen released a hijacked dhow, the small ship sailed home today. Very grateful, the saved seafarers said goodbye to the flagship of the NATO counter-piracy operation Ocean Shield. “Of course we are here because of the importance of the sea lanes of communications and their r
After a two day hunt in the Gulf of Aden and Arabian Sea, NATO’s flagship HNLMS Evertsen boarded a pirated dhow on June 29 and released seven hijacked Indian and Bangladeshi crew members. The Omani flagged dhow Nebarkad had been hijacked on 20th June off the coast of Oman, and was used by the pirate
From the 18th to 21st June 2012, EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) frigates Guépratte and Reina Sofia collaborated with USS Taylor, engaged in TF 508 (NATO) to escort World Food Programme chartered ship MV Tupi Maiden 3. The escort of WFP ship started in Salalah (Oman) and was performed by EUNAVFOR French f
Israel’s unused natural gas potential may be under threat from preying militant groups such as Hezbollah, the Iranian-backed Lebanese guerrilla movement, which might require intensified involvement of the country’s Navy in securing the multinational drilling platforms and offshore rigs, Reuters info
Britain’s most advanced warship, HMS Daring, reunited with the world’s most famous aircraft carrier, USS Enterprise, as they spent five days on patrol east of Suez. It’s the second time the two vessels have linked up – but the first on operations. Enterprise is on her final deployment after 51 years
According to Reuters, the Maersk Texas, a U.S.-flagged cargo ship was attacked by Pirates in the Gulf of Oman on Wednesday. A unit of Danish shipping and oil group A.P. Moller-Maersk, Maersk Line Ltd, reported that the onboard guards managed to fend off the attack. A 19,592 deadweight tonnes (dwt) v
After four years of spending most of their time over the sands of Afghanistan, the Sea Kings of the Commando Helicopter Force have spent the spring finding their sea legs again. The helicopters – known as the Junglies – have taken part in a succession of training exercises to re-learn the art of fly
