Calmer waters seem to be on the horizon as the threat from Somali pirates is withering, NATO’s counter-piracy commander said, warning that the international forces shouldn’t lower their guard before the threat is completely removed. Speaking in figures, in the first half of 2012 the number of Somali
The Naval Criminal Investigative Service has made an arrest in connection with a $400 million dollar fire on board USS Miami May 23 and other incidents at the Portsmouth Naval Shipyard in Kittery, Maine. Casey James Fury, a 24-year-old civilian worker at the Shipyard, is charged with arson. He was t
Eight nations took part in a joint operational planning training opportunity during Sea Spirit 2012, at the Ford Island Conference Center on Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam during the Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012 exercise. Canadian Forces College senior instructors from the Canadian Army, Royal C
The Deputy Secretary of Defense (DEPSECDEF) Ashton B. Carter visited the U.S. 7th Fleet flagship USS Blue Ridge (LCC 19) to speak with Sailors and emphasize the importance of their mission in the Asia-Pacific region during a July 21 visit. Carter thanked Blue Ridge Sailors and embarked 7th Fleet sta
On 18 July the Force Commanders of the three international Counter-Piracy task forces, the EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR), NATO Operation Ocean Shield (TF-508) and Combined Task Force 151 (CTF-151; operated by the Combined Maritime Forces – CMF) met on board the NATO flagshi
The maritime environment has changed significantly in recent years, due to piracy and terrorism, climate change and environmental protection, and the offshore sector. Global trading of goods continues to grow, and 90% of it is carried by sea, so security of the overall global maritime logistic chain
The Los Angeles-class attack submarine USS Helena (SSN 725) held a change of command ceremony on board Naval Station Norfolk, July 20. Cmdr. Jeffrey Lamphear relieved Cmdr. Paul Dinius as commanding officer. “I am honored to share in this wonderful event today – the change of command celebration bet
The Secretary of the Navy, the honorable Ray Mabus, and Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert, visited the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz (CVN 68) for the Navy’s Great Green Fleet demonstration during Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) 2012, July 18. The Great Green Fleet demonstration is a step to
On 18 July the ferry MV Skagit was reported to be sinking off Chumbe island. The EU Naval Force Somalia Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR) immediately redirected a Luxembourg Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA), which was conducting counter-piracy patrols closest to the location of the si
From 4 to 13 July , the EU Naval Force – Operation Atalanta (EU NAVFOR) provided protection to a ship chartered for AMISOM (African Union Mission in Somalia) supplies. The German frigate Bremen and the French frigate Guépratte took turns to carry out this mission, from the south Red Sea to Mogadishu
Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) completed its largest Docking Planned Incremental Availability (DPIA) July 15, returning USS Harry S Truman (CVN 75) to the fleet after 470,000 man-days of maintenance. Nimitz-class aircraft carriers have a set maintenance plan which must be adhered to in order for thes
The guided-missile destroyer USS Chafee (DDG 90) took on 250,000 gallons of alternative fuel, a 50/50 blend of advanced biofuel and traditional petroleum-based fuel, from the fleet replenishment oiler USNS Henry J. Kaiser (T-AO 187) as part of the Great Green Fleet demonstration during Rim of the Pa
On 17 and 18 July, the Djiboutian navy and the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) French frigate Guépratte, will participate in the joint surveillance operation “7 Brothers” in international waters near the Islands of Seven Brothers and the Bab El Mandeb strait. With a new operational center and a network o
The Flying Tigers, normally based at Royal Naval Air Station Culdrose in Helston, sent two of their Merlin helicopters and 55 personnel to take part in Exercise Dynamic Mongoose, a newly-established NATO Anti-Submarine Warfare exercise in the Norwegian Sea. Operating from Sola Airbase, Stavanger in
