The UK is sending Type 45 destroyer HMS Duncan to the Persian Gulf in the wake of an escalation of tensions in the region following the scrapping of the Iran nuclear deal and a spate of attacks on commercial tankers. HMS Duncan was operating in the Black Sea when the ship’s new tasking was announced
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose has chased off five Iranian Revolutionary Guards vessels trying to impede the passage of tanker British Heritage in the Persian Gulf on Thursday. According to media reports, HMS Montrose positioned itself between the tanker and Iranian vessels and issued verbal warnin
Indian Navy has deployed two of its vessels in the Gulf of Oman as part of the Operation Sankalp, following the recent maritime security incidents in the region. With this move, the country aims to provide support for Indian-flagged vessels operating and transiting through the Persian Gulf and the G
The US Central Command (CENTCOM) has confirmed that a US Navy Broad Area Maritime Surveillance (or BAMS-D) ISR unmanned aircraft was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile system. It has released a video of the shoot down. The command said the aircraft was operating in international airspace
An MQ-4C Triton unmanned aircraft, the US Navy’s newest aerial drone, was reportedly shot down in international airspace over the Strait of Hormuz on June 20. The surveillance system, which started entering service only a year ago, was shot down by an Iranian surface-to-air missile, media outlets re
Two oil tankers have been damaged in the Strait of Hormuz, according to the US 5th Fleet, with one reportedly being targeted by a torpedo. Front Altair, a 110,000 dwt tanker operated by Norwegian shipping company Frontline, is the one hit by a torpedo, shipping news site Tradewinds reported citing i
French shipbuilder Naval Group has concluded negotiations for the construction of two Gowind corvettes for the United Arab Emirates Navy. The deal is estimated to be worth around €750 million (US $850 million) and has options for an additional two units in the class. The contract signing was first r
Two US Navy groups operate in US 5th Fleet AOP in show of force amid Iran tensions.
US Navy aircraft carrier Abraham Lincoln (CVN 72) and ships from its carrier strike group entered the US 5th Fleet area of operations on May 9 after transiting the Suez Canal. The Abraham Lincoln CSG (ABESCG) arrived in the Middle East a little earlier than initially planned, following an announceme
Ships from the navies of the US, the UK and France have kicked off the mine countermeasures exercise Artemis Trident in the Persian Gulf. “Mine laying poses a risk to naval ships as well as merchant shipping vessels,” the US 5th Fleet said in an announcement. “As mines threaten maritime traffic indi
US 5th Fleet’s Task Force 55 and commercial shipping industry representatives joined forces recently to complete exercise Lucky Mariner 19. The annual exercise concluded March 15 and was led by the task force’s Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS) detachment designed to exercise comma
Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri officially started construction of the first of two Qatari Navy offshore patrol vessels in a ceremony at its Muggiano shipyard on February 27. The two OPVs will be built as part of a larger, 4 billion euro, contract which will see Finantieri deliver a total of seven s
US Navy’s guided-missile destroyer USS Chung-Hoon (DDG 93) seized close to 5 tons of narcotics from a stateless vessel in the international waters of the Gulf of Aden on January 24. Chung-Hoon’s visit, board, search and seizure (VBSS) team conducted a flag verification boarding and seized 4,700 kilo
Frigates, destroyers and an aircraft carrier from four nations are currently underway in the Persian Gulf as part of the annual, multinational exercise Intrepid Sentinel 2019. The multilateral exercise is designed to increase capability and interoperability between the four nations. According to pho
