NATO’s Counter Piracy Task Force Commander, Rear Admiral (ESP N) Eugenio Diaz del Rio welcomed a delegation of the Yemeni Coast Guard, lead by the Head of Brigadier General Ahmed Saleh Al-Soubhi on board CTF-508 flagship ESPS ALVARO DE BAZAN on Tuesday, 21 January 2014. The topics of the meeting w
The Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS TE MANA is ready to join NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield today, which will be the second time that a partner nation has contributed to NATO’s counter-piracy efforts after Ukraine. NATO welcomed the offer to contribute to the operation from the New Zealand Gov
Representatives from Bulgaria, Georgia, Romania, Turkey and the Russian Federation are attending BLACKSEAFOR planning event, which is taking place in Sevastopol, Ukraine. Rear Admiral Denis Berzovsky, Deputy Commander of Navy of Ukrainian Armed Forces, who is leading a Ukrainian working group, sai
The French Naval Ship FS Siroco in cooperation with Japanese assets released crewmembers from a pirated dhow on January 18th. The flagship arrested five suspected pirates believed of having attacked an oil tanker in the Gulf of Aden a day earlier. The UK Maritime Trade Operation received a call fo
Commander of South Korean Expeditionary Task Group, Captain Sung-Mok Choi, paid a visit to Commander of Combined Task Force 508, Rear Admiral Eugenio Diaz del Rio, aboard the Spanish Naval Vessel, ESPS Alvaro De Bazan, in the Gulf of Aden on 11 January 2014. The South Korean Navy staff arrived onb
The Royal Navy Type 23 frigate HMS Somerset dropped her anchor in Gibraltar on the way to beginning a deployment East of Suez. The deployment comes in the aftermath of HMS Somerset’s £21 million pound refit, which renewed her operational capability and restored her full readiness. Whilst in Gibral
Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) and PT PAL (Persero) Shipyard in Surabaya, Indonesia held the steel cutting ceremony on 15 January 2014 for the first SIGMA 10514 PKR Frigate. DSNS and PT PAL signed the contract for construction of the 105 meters long frigate with the Defence Ministry of In
Hetman Sahaydachnyi, the Ukrainian Navy frigate, finished the first patrolling as part of European Naval Force Operation Atalanta from 5 to15th of January. The primary goal of Hetman’s presence was to perform counter-piracy operations, secure civil ships carrying out tasks within the World Food Pr
The Republic of China Navy held an anti-submarine exercise in waters off Taiwan on January 14th, ahead of the Lunar New Year holiday, Watch China Times news portal writes. Chengkung-class frigates and US-made coastal minehunters participated in the exercise. The Navy dispatched the frigates from Tso
The German Navy ship, FGS Hessen, which is currently part of European Naval Force Operation Atalanta, assisted a Yemeni dhow off the coast of Yemen. The dhow was drifting for five days due to some technical malfunctions. The Japanese Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) alerted FGS Hes
Lockheed Martin Corporation received a USD 13.18 million worth contract modification, which is related to planning yard support efforts for LCS1 and LCS3. During the contract Lockheed Martin will provide services such as vendor training and crew familiarization, trainer support, availability advance
The flagship of the EU Naval Force, FS Siroco, held training with the Tanzanian Navy during her recent visit to the port of Dar Es Salaam. The training included a briefing on boarding operations, Best Management Practices (BMP) and an introduction to the Mercury system used by the counter piracy for
EU Navfor flagship, FS Siroco, on January 1st 2014, visited the Port of Mayotte, which is located in the Indian Ocean. This port is the only part of the EU located inside the Operation Atalanta’s Area of Operations. FS Siroco is a French warship, which joined the European Union Naval Force Operation
BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair has received a 13.89 million contract for the planned maintenance work on USS Wasp (LHD 1). The dry-docking planned maintenance availability will update and improve USS Wasp’s military and technical capabilities. Under the contract, BAE Systems will plan and execute d
