Maritime professionals from Africa, Europe and the U.S. concluded the Africa Partnership Station (APS) Annual Planning Conference, Sept. 17. The 3-day conference allowed training officers from African maritime forces to express maritime capacity desires and work with U.S. and European stakeholders
On Saturday 13 September 2014 FGS Berlin conducted a RAS with Italian Navy destroyer, ITS Andrea Doria, the current flagship of the EU’s counter-piracy mission, Operation Atalanta. Before the RAS commenced, all the sailors involved were fully briefed on their duties and then ITS Andrea Doria made
Maritime professionals from Africa, Europe, and the U.S. began a 3-day conference aimed to enhance collaborative efforts to achieve maritime security in Africa, Sept. 15. The Africa Partnership Station (APS) Annual Planning Conference aims to align individual African nation maritime security goals
Whilst conducting EU counter-piracy patrols in the Horn of Africa, the Belgian EU Naval Force frigate, BNS Leopold I, has conducted friendly approaches on a dhow and several skiffs near the Somali coast. The dhow was initially sighted by BNS Leopold I’s Alouette III helicopter during a reconnaissa
On Monday, 8 September, EU Naval Force Belgian frigate, BNS Leopold I, conducted a replenishment at sea with the German support ship FGS Berlin in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC). As the ships sailed close to each other, maintenance equipment was transferred from FGS Berlin
On Tuesday 4 September the 32nd wing of the Italian Air Force, which operates the remote controlled aircraft known as Predator, completed their first tasking with the EU Naval Force. The Italian Predator team, which is based in Djibouti, carried out a successful 11 hour check test flight and was a
Between 6 – 7 September, the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando took the opportunity to embark HNLMS Van Speijk and BNS Leopold I. Both frigates recently joined the EU Naval Force to conduct EU counter-piracy operations and they will remain in the area of operations off the coast of Soma
Marine Helicopter Crashes in the Gulf of Aden A U.S. Marine Corps CH-53E Super Stallion helicopter assigned to the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) crashed at 2:00 p.m. (GMT), yesterday, at sea in the Gulf of Aden as it attempted to land aboard USS Mesa Verde (LPD 19). HMS Queen Elizabeth Unde
EU Naval Force warship HNLMS Van Speijk has carried out her first friendly approach in the Gulf of Aden. Following a routine logistical stop in Djibouti, HNLMS Van Speijk was assigned to patrol in the Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor (IRTC), monitoring merchant traffic and safeguarding s
On Tuesday 2 September the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, welcomed the Commander of the Japanese Escort Task Group, Captain Tsutomu Okawa, on board the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria. Both ships are conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese Es
On Saturday 30 August, EU Naval Force warship BNS Leopold I conducted their first friendly approach with two Yemeni fishing vessels. Having sighted the vessels at sea with approximately 15 men, women and children on board, the warship’s Boarding Party was dispatched to investigate the situation. O
On Thursday 28 August EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, and Combined Maritime Force frigate, HMAS Toowoomba, met at sea in the Gulf of Aden. As both warships were in close proximity to each other, crewmembers from both warships took the opportunity to ‘cross-deck’ to the other to meet sai
EU Naval Force Warship FGS Berlin conducts three Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) activities during a recent port visit to the Seychelles in support of EUCAP Nestor. LMCB are conducted by the European Union to build the capacity of security forces of regional partners in the fight against p
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën is on her way home after a successful three months deployment to the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta, the counter-piracy mission of the European Union. Before joining Operation Atalanta, the ship conducted two-weeks of pre-deployment training on her way to the Suez Cana
