FGS KÖLN conducted her last day of operations as a part of EU NAVFOR, after 74 days in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin. During this deployment, FGS KÖLN was tasked in all aspects of Operation ATALANTA, ranging from the escort of World Food Programme ships carrying food-aid into Somalia to coun
Spanish warship SPS INFANTA CRISTINA completed operating under EUNAVFOR, after 81 days working for Operation ATALANTA. During her time in the Operation, SPS INFANTA CRISTINA escorted one vessel chartered by the World Food Program (WFP), assisting the delivery of 15,789 metric tons of food aid to Som
On 11 November, the Yemeni dhow AL JABAL was handed-over by the Commanding Officer of the FGS KOELN to the Yemen Coast Guard for return to its owner after it had been stolen to be used as a pirate mother-ship. The dhow had been taken by a group of Somali pirates and was detected in […]
On 8 November, following detection by EU NAVFOR warships and aircraft working in close cooperation in the Somali Basin, the Yemen registered dhow, AL JABAL, which had been stolen for use as a pirate mother-ship, was stopped by the FGS KOELN. A group of 19 Somali men were onboard and surrendered to t
On 10 November FS SURCOUF finished her deployment as an EU NAVFOR warship after 94 days of valuable contribution under the stars of European Flag. During this period the French frigate guarded three ships of the African Union Mission in Somalia (AMISOM) on passage between Mombasa and Mogadishu and t
Rear Admiral Thomas E.P. Jugel, the EU NAVFOR Operation ATALANTA Task Force Commander (CTF 465) hosted a visit by Rear Admiral Kaleem Shaukat, Pakistan Navy, Commander Task Force 151, onboard FGS BAYERN. The working meeting was an opportunity to discuss common objectives to counter-piracy and to pro
Wednesday 9 November, the French frigate FS FLOREAL has integrated the EU NAVFOR Task Force 465. FS FLOREAL is a 93.5 meter long frigate based on the French island “La Réunion” and has a displacement of 2950 t when fully loaded. She has a crew of just under 100 and is equipped with a Panther [&helli
On 4 November 2011, following a coordinated search and detection by a French Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance aircraft, the German warship FGS KOELN, operating as part of the EU NAVFOR, disrupted a pirate action group comprising a whaler and skiff, 50 nautical miles off the coast of Tanzania. On d
EU NAVFOR warship SPS INFANTA CHRISTINA left Mombasa’s waters last week to assume the escort of merchant vessel PETRA 1 which carries supplies for the African Union troops operating in Somalia as part of the AMISOM force. The journey is from Mombasa to Mogadishu and in addition to the ship escort, a
The U.S. Navy announced the launch of the first Egyptian Navy Fast Missile Craft (FMC) from VT Halter Marine’s Pascagoula, Miss., shipyard, Oct. 20, marking a key milestone in the ship’s construction process. The primary mission of the FMC is to conduct independent and joint operations, primarily ag
On 7 October EU NAVFOR warship FGS KOELN successfully disrupted a suspect Pirate Action Group’s (PAG) supply boat, a whaler, operating in the Somali Basin about 200 nautical miles East of Tanzania. The whaler had been located previously by a Norwegian Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPR
Fleet of Iranian patrol ships hindered pirates’ attempt to hijack a Russian-flagged vessel. Speaking at the press conference in Iranian southern port of Bushehr, Director-General of the Port and Maritime Organization of Bushehr province Mohammad Rastad said Iranian Navy warships deployed in the Gulf
On September 29 the EU NAVFOR warship FGS KÖLN located and destroyed a suspicious whaler close to a beach off Somalia, 100 nautical miles SW of Mogadishu. A helicopter was dispatched to inspect and found the whaler loaded with equipment usually related to piracy on board. No crew was seen on board.
EU NAVFOR welcomed a German Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) which will operate off the Horn of Africa. Based in Djibouti, the Lockheed Martin P-3C ‘ORION’, will add to the mission’s capabilities until December. In a letter to the detachment, the Force Commander, Rear Admiral Thomas Ju
