Since arriving in the Philippines, HMS Illustrious and her ‘floating warehouse’ of emergency supplies have been a hub of activity. The Royal Navy’s amphibious aircraft carrier arrived in the Philippines on 25 November after a short stop in Singapore to load up 500 tonnes of humanitarian aid under th
During the medal ceremony which was held on the flight deck in the Gulf of Aden, the international staff and ship’s company were decorated by the Force Commander of Atalanta, commodore Peter Lenselink of the Royal Netherlands Navy. Commodore Lenselink praised the EU flag staff and ship’s company “Yo
On Saturday 1 December, an EU Naval Force Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) handover ceremony was held in Djibouti between Lithuanian and Serbian Forces in Djibouti. Members of the Lithuanian Forces have spent the past four months embarked in the World Food Programme (WFP) aid ship, MV
Northrop Grumman Corporation’s Moss Point, Miss., Unmanned Systems Center started production of the first NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (AGS) Block 40 Global Hawk aircraft, enhanced to meet NATO operational requirements. NATO representatives, state dignitaries, community leaders and Northrop Gru
Standing NATO Mine Counter-Measures Group TWO (SNMCMG2) successfully joined 11 additional ships in the annual Turkish Mine Warfare Exercise NUSRET 13 in Saros Bay November 22-30. The SNMCMG2 units FGS MOSEL, FGS ROTTWEIL and TCG ERDEMLI were joined by the Hellenic Navy HS EVROPI. The Turkish Navy, u
On Sunday, 1 December 2013, the NATO counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD task group flagship HNoMS FRIDTJOF NANSEN rescued the crew of a Somalia-based dhow, which contained broken steering gear and two ill crew members. While patrolling the Gulf of Aden, NANSEN received a call from a Japanese Mari
Leaders of the tactical group of the Ocean Shield operation discussed the operation results aboard the Ukrainian frigate Hetman Sahaydachnyi in relation to the rotation term completion. The parties analyzed the interoperability and summarized the joint work during this counter-piracy operation. Comm
During the last two months, a Danish Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA) Challenger (CL604) from the Royal Danish Air Force provided support to NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD (OOS) under the control of Maritime Air Directorate (MARAIR). This MPA was stationed in the Seychelles between 23 Se
On Thursday 28 November EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Meteoro made its ninth and last replenishment at sea (RAS) with the logistic American ship USNS Joshua Humphries. The meeting between both ships was close to the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor in the Gulf of Aden, and five days befor
Two NATO ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2), flagship ESPS ALVARO DE BAZAN and FGS SACHSEN, arrived Wednesday 27 November 2013 for a visit to the historic port city of Haifa, Israel. In conjunction with the port visit, Vice Admiral Peter Hudson, Commander of NATO Allied Marit
On November 28, the medical staff of the Hetman Sahaydachny frigate from Ukraine, participating in the NATO’s Ocean Shield counter-piracy operation, completed an appendectomy aboard the ship. The gas machine-room operator needed the emergency aid. A group of medical personnel led by Lt. Col. Serhiy
The Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) has taken delivery of a Mission Planning & Analysis System (MPAS) in the Final Operative Configuration for its fleet of NH90 NFH medium twin naval helicopters, AgustaWestland, a Finmeccanica company, announced. This delivery of MPAS follows the one released into ser
Between the 12th and 20th of November, the Spanish Navy Maritime Action Staff participated in the multinational exercise ‘MNEX-13’ of naval-cooperation with merchant shipping. This exercise, organized every two years, is designed to enhance interoperability and training of NCAGS personnel (Naval Coo
On Saturday, 23 November 2013, Standing NATO Maritime Group TWO (SNMG2) performed an opposed boarding exercise on the French oiler FS VAR, the culmination of four months of intense combined training that demonstrated the interoperability of the Group’s three ships. The Group’s flagship ESPS ALVARO D
