The joint US-UK exercise Saxon Warrior, held in waters off Scotland, concluded on August 10 after ten days of drills. Surface combatants from the UK, US and Norway joined the US Navy aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush as the Royal Navy is preparing to revive its carrier strike capability. At one
Italian Navy Rear Admiral Fabio Gregori took over command of the EU counter-piracy operation Atalanta from Spanish Navy Rear Admiral Rafael Fernández-Pintado during a ceremony in Djibouti on July 27. EU NAVFOR’s deputy operation commander, Rear-Admiral Alfonso Pérez de Nanclares (Spanish Navy), also
Italian Navy frigate ITS Espero is en route to her homeport after over two months of counter-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa as part of the EUNAVFOR operation Atalanta. During her 108-day deployment ITS Espero’s ship’s company helped deter and suppress pirate attacks which started again in 201
As part of her counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia, EU NAVFOR’s Italian warship, ITS Espero, has an Agusta-Bell AB 212 helicopter embarked. This highly capable helicopter provides the commanding officer with much-needed versatility, speed and range, as well as an intelligence-gathering c
One of EU NAVFOR’s key missions is to protect World Food Programme (WFP) vessels as they transit along the coastline of Somalia. It is essential that much-needed food and other humanitarian aid get safely delivered to the Somali people without any delay. EU NAVFOR has been protecting WFP vessels sin
The Italian Navy hosted its Algerian counterpart in the Italian port of Augusta for the bilateral exercise Medex-17. Medex consisted of a harbor and an at sea phase, taking place between June 12 and 16. Now in its ninth edition, the exercise is part of the 5 + 5 defense initiative aimed at enhancing
Three men in a skiff approached a Marshall Islands-flagged oil tanker in the southern Bab-el-Mandeb strait and opened fire on it on May 31, EU NAVFOR has confirmed. The vessel’s master reported that the attackers fired three rocket-propelled grenades, before breaking off the attack. The onboard arme
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) joined Royal Moroccan Navy ships for a series of exercises off the coast of Casablanca, Morocco on Tuesday. SNMG2, consisting of flagship Spanish frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo and Turkish frigate TCG Gokceada joined Royal Moroccan Navy ships Mohammed V
The multinational maritime exercise Phoenix Express concluded with a closing ceremony at the Escuela de Infanteria de Marina General Albacete Fuster in Cartagena, Spain, on May 17. Maritime forces from Europe, North Africa, and the United States came together to celebrate the 13th iteration of the m
Naval forces from Europe, North Africa, and the United States are conducting the 13th iteration of the multinational maritime exercise Phoenix Express 2017. The drill began May 10 with an opening ceremony at the Spanish Naval Base Arsenal de Cartagena and will take place throughout the Mediterranean
Sailors from the Italian Navy’s Maestrale-class frigate ITS Espero carried out maritime training with a team from the Djiboutian Navy during their recent port visit in Djibouti. Currently part of the EUNAVFOR’s counter-piracy operation Atalanta, ITS Espero worked with EUCAP Somalia staff during the
U.S. and Royal Moroccan Navy vessels took part in cooperation exercises in Moroccan waters on May 5. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) conducted maritime interdiction operations (MIO) and small boat defense procedures with Moroccan patrol vessel P306 RMNS Commandant El
Warships and personnel from U.S., U.K. and France completed a two-week multilateral amphibious exercise in international waters off the coast of Djibouti and in the vicinity of Djibouti and Arta Beach. Named Alligator Dagger 17, the exercise is led by U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces, and joined by forc
Late on Saturday night during a European Union counter-piracy patrol close to the east coast of Somalia, EU NAVFOR’s Spanish flagship, ESPS Galicia, received a SOS distress call from the master of merchant ship, MT Costina, to say that his vessel was being attacked by a number of armed pirates in a
