A Ukrainian navy frigate is steaming towards the Horn of Africa to join NATO’s counter-piracy mission Operation Ocean Shield after NATO Allies gave their final approval to Ukraine’s participation in the mission. Ukraine will be the first partner nation to join the operation. The North Atlantic Counc
EU Naval Force Warship ESPS Meteoro has recently completed a busy period of Friendly Approaches meeting 23 dhows and skiffs in just 3 days. During these approaches the boat crews received information about the movements of maritime traffic in the area and strengthened relationships with local seafar
Naval Station Rota, Spain and Base Naval de Rota commemorated 60 years of partnership in Rota between the United States and Spain, during a daylong celebration aboard Naval Station Rota, Spain, Sept. 26. The celebration started mid-morning with static displays and ship tours followed by an evening c
VIDEO: DDG 1000 Zumwalt-Class Destroyer Pending Christening (USA) The christening of the U.S. Navy’s newest guided missile destroyer, Zumwalt (DDG 1000), will take place on Saturday, October 19, 2013 at General Dynamics Bath Iron Works. The ceremony will begin at 11:00 A.M. and is open to the public
On 26 September, the Seychelles Peoples Defence Force, Coast Guard and Air Force, together with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta and EUCAP Nestor, carried out a search and rescue exercise in Seychelles waters. The operation was coordinated centrally by the Seychelles Coast G
Three ships have held a simultaneous Replenishment at Sea in the Gulf of Oman in a highly complex manoeuvre during which they could be no more than fifty metres apart. In the middle was Royal Fleet Auxiliary Fort Victoria which has the ability to refuel two ships at the same time – with RFA Fort [&h
To deter and disrupt piracy off the Horn of Africa is one of the main tasks of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. To help strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the EU Naval Force and local seafarers, as well as obtain first hand information about possible piracy i
A large fleet of warships from NATO’s Response Force (NRF) sailed from ports across Europe to take part in the maritime exercise “Brilliant Mariner” in the Mediterranean Sea that starts on Wednesday 25 September 2013 . The warships will take part in integration training that will enable them to resp
Last week the German frigate FGS Niedersachsen, deployed with the EU Naval Force (EU ANVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta received an emergency call from the Italian merchant vessel MV Jolly Perla. A crew member had acute heart problems and needed immediate medical assistance. After consultation with
Trafalgar class nuclear powered attack submarine (SSN) HMS Trenchant has docked down at Devonport Royal Dockyard for a substantial two year Revalidation and Assisted Maintenance Period (RAMP) being undertaken by Babcock. The RAMP will ensure the submarine is safe to operate for the rest of her commi
U.S. military assets remain ready to launch attacks if the diplomatic efforts to secure and dismantle the Syrian regime’s chemical arms should fail, senior U.S. defense officials said yesterday in Washington. In a Pentagon news conference, U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel and Army Gen. Martin E. D
NATO’s Operation OCEAN SHIELD Force Commander, Norwegian Commodore Henning Amundsen met with the Commander of the Chinese Maritime Forces ETG 999, Rear Admiral Jiang Zhonghua on board the NATO Flagship HNoMS FRIDTJOF NANSEN this Sunday, 15 September, 2013. Although this is the eighth time the two na
On Wednesday 11 September, German frigate FGS Niedersachsen received a special kind of air mail, when a Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft parachuted in voting papers for 20 sailors on board for the forthcoming parliamentary elections in Germany. The warship, which has 230 men and women on board is cu
The combined Royal Marine and Royal Navy Boarding Teams of HMS Montrose have spent 4 days, operating out of the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operations Training Centre (NMIOTC) at Souda Bay, Crete. Putting their Standard Operating Procedures through a rigorous programme of tests and instructional peri
