The Dutch Landing Platform Dock HNLMS Johan de Witt joined the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta on 6 August 2013. For the next 4 months, Johan de Witt will be the EU Naval Force flagship, hosting the Force Commander, Commodore Peter Lenselink, and his multinational staff on bo
Spanish maritime action ship ‘Rayo’ arrived at her home port in Las Palmas (Canary Islands) on June 28th after a six-month deployment. During this period, the ship participated in operation ‘Atalanta’ aimed against pirate activities in the Indian Ocean and in a cruise around the African coast visiti
On Saturday 27 July, a helicopter from an EU Naval Force warship overflew the pirate controlled fishing vessel Naham 3 and was able to confirm that the fishing vessel had become detached from the sunken MV Albedo and was steaming north along the Somali coast under her own power. Latest photographs t
Whilst patrolling the seas off the coast of Somalia and in the Gulf of Aden, EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta warships often visit regional cargo and fishing dhows operating in these waters. These ‘friendly approaches’, as they are known, are a chance for the EU Naval Force to r
VIDEO: USS Independence Shows Off Its Maneuvering Capabilities An American littoral combat ship USS Independence conducted a demonstration of its maneuvering capabilities in the Pacific Ocean off the coast of San Diego on July 18th 2013. The Philippine Navy Prepares for BRP Alcaraz Arrival The Phili
Gulf of Guinea nations held a planning conference July 23-25 to set in motion objectives and initial concepts for what will be the fourth iteration of Obangame Express, a multinational maritime exercise which is set to take place in spring 2014. Obangame Express, one of four major U.S. Naval Forces
During their recent port visit to Djibouti, the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship, NRP Álvares Cabral held a medal ceremony on board. The ceremony was presided over by the EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Commodore Jorge Novo Palma and the Commanding Officer of NRP Álvares Cabral, Captain Nuno Sobral Do
Last week EU Naval Force confirmed that the Malaysian flagged Motor Vessel, MV Albedo, held by armed pirates in an anchorage close to the Somali coast since November 2010, had sunk in rough seas. Since then EU Naval Force warships and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft have conducted sea and air searches in
Whilst alongside in Djibouti port, staff from the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Flagship, NRP Álvares Cabral, and members of the Djiboutian Navy and of the Djiboutian Coast Guard came together on board the Portuguese ship to conduct Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) training to exchange maritime
On 3 July 2013, whilst conducting counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, the Force Commander of the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR), Commodore Jorge Novo Palma, met with the Commander of the NATO counter-piracy Operation Ocean Shield, Commodore Henning Amundsen. HNoMS Fridtjof Nansen, fl
NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe (SACEUR), General Philip Breedlove visited the Allied Maritime Command in Northwood, United Kingdom on Tuesday, 2 July 2013. This was General Breedlove’s first visit to HQ MARCOM since he was appointed as NATO’s top military commander on 14 May 2013. This was a
During the past week the NATO Shipping Centre received reports on two incidents involving fishing vessels in the High Risk Area. The first is a report of a pirated fishing vessel, while the second incident appears to be a SOLAS related accident. The first report confirms that pirates continue to dis
On Saturday afternoon (22 June), EU Naval Force Italian warship, ITS Zeffiro and Chinese Navy warship CNS Mianyang, which are both conducting counter piracy operations, met at sea in the choppy waters of the Gulf of Aden. The aim of the meeting was to enable CNS Mianyang to take over escort duties o
On June 24, members of the Somali Federal Government flew on board the EU Naval Force Portuguese flagship, NRP Alvares Cabral, at sea off Mogadishu. They held talks with the EU Special Envoy to Somalia, the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force Atalanta, and the Head of Mission for EUCAP NESTOR,
