An independent report into UK’s naval shipbuilding has concluded that the small Royal Navy fleet is a result of too long procurement cycles, late orders for new ships and the policy of retaining old ships in the fleet beyond their sell date. Sir John Parker’s Independent Report into naval shipbuildi
The European Council extended operation Atalanta’s mandate to deter, disrupt and repress acts of piracy off the coast of Somalia until 31 December 2018. Operation Atalanta’s two-year mandate extension comes amidst concerns within European Union member states that whilst pirate attacks on merchant sh
Following the conclusion of Turkish-led exercise Mavi Balina, ships from several NATO countries kicked off a mine-warfare exercise in the Aegean Sea on Monday, November 28. The second Turkish exercise of the month will run through December 4 and will be aimed at testing combat readiness and strength
Spanish company Indra has partnered with the Polytechnic University of Madrid (UPM) to jointly develop and integrate the sensors for Spanish Navy’s future F110 frigate. The partnership agreement has been reached within the industrial plan for the PROTEC F110 program, through which Indra will boost c
Ships from several nations concluded their participation in the Turkish-led exercise Mavi Balina in the Mediterranean Sea. Participating nations included Pakistan, Romania, Turkey, the United Kingdom, and the United States. NATO Maritime Group 2, as well as observers from Algeria, Nigeria, and Georg
German Navy’s replenishment oiler Rhön is set to return to its homeport in Wilhelmshaven after completing a two-month deployment to NATO’s standing maritime group 1 (SNMG1). Rhön is scheduled to enter harbor on November 30 after spending 57 days at sea and sailing 9,000 nautical miles. The ship depa
Royal Navy’s Type 4 destroyer HMS Duncan had to be towed back to Devonport after experiencing a breakdown off Plymouth. According to a report by the Plymouth Herald, a Ministry of Defence spokesman confirmed this saying the ship had experienced “technical issues”. The ship was towed back to port on
The Albanian Navy joined it’s first-ever NATO maritime mission by deploying its patrol boat ALS Oriku to Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 on Monday. The vessel will support NATO activities in the Aegean Sea as part of the international efforts to stop illegal trafficking and migration. ALS Oriku is an
A detachment of 20 Royal Danish Air Force officers and enlisted service members took flight in their aircraft from the Seychelles one last time on November 19 marking the end of their deployment. The Royal Danish Air Force Challenger CL-604 was deployed to NATO standing Operation Ocean Shield. The D
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 1 left Devonport Naval Base on Monday after a routine visit. The international group, currently comprising ships from the Royal Navy and the Spanish and Portuguese navies and a German auxiliary tanker berthed in HM Naval Base Plymouth last week. SNMG 1 now s
The crew of the Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS Iron Duke have started a period of training under direction of Flag Officer Sea Training (FOST) after completing a maintenance period. This period marks the end of her busy operational period in the first half of 2016, which saw the ship deploy as par
A UK Defence Committee Report has said that the Ministry of Defence will have to devise a sound plan for replacing its 13 ageing frigates while maintaining the already low number of operational vessels in the fleet. The report calls for the National Shipbuilding Strategy, due to be published this we
U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Carney (DDG 64) arrived in Aksaz, Turkey, to attend pre-sail and planning conferences for exercise Mavi Balina 16. Mavi Balina 16 is a Turkish-led maritime exercise involving NATO and regional forces in the Eastern Mediterranean to improve interoperabili
Dredging operators found an unexploded WWII bomb in the Portsmouth Harbour while they were preparing the port for the arrival of the Royal Navy’s new Queen Elizabeth- class aircraft carriers. The latest discovery, which occurred in the morning hours of November 16, brings the total number of histori
