As the Australian Navy’s newest ship’s company prepared for her commissioning ceremony, two Navy helicopters marked a different milestone by making the first deck landings on Australia’s largest warship. A MRH90 ‘Taipan’ from 808 Squadron and an S-70-B Seahawk from 816 Squadron flew to Fleet Base Ea
Australia’s first Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) Canberra III was welcomed into service in the Royal Australian Navy on November 28. The Australian White Ensign was raised for the first time, signaling that HMAS Canberra III was formally commissioned into the Fleet. Navy, Army and Air Force members o
On Tuesday 25 November the outgoing 20th Spanish Maritime Patrol Aircraft Contingent held a Transfer of Authority (TOA) ceremony with the 21st Contingent team to hand over their counter-piracy duties in the Horn of Africa. The ceremony took place at the French Air Base in Djibouti. The military cere
The Governor General of Australia, together with the Prime Minister of Australia, were the guests of honour today as Australia’s first Landing Helicopter Dock (LHD) was welcomed into service in the Royal Australian Navy. The Australian White Ensign was raised for the first time, signalling that HMAS
The Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, visited the Secretary-General of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), Mr Koji Sekimizu, at the IMO headquarters in London on Wednesday 26 November. Meeting to discuss the current situation off the Horn of Africa
East African nations have a significant challenge ahead. The past few years have seen an encouraging decline in the volume of maritime piracy incidents that once dominated headlines with tales of hostage taking and freight ship hijacking, particularly in the Gulf of Aden and further south into the S
During the last week EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Navarra, invited local Somali leaders on board in order to help build relations between the EU Naval Force and the Somali people. After being welcomed on board, the Somalis were given an insight into the EU’s Operation Atalanta, that is helping to ma
On 19 and 20 November, during her recent port visit to Dar Es Salam, EU Naval Force warship BNS Leopold I hosted members of the Tanzanian Navy in support of EUCAP Nestor’s initiative to conduct Local Maritime Capability Building (LMCB). On the first day, BNS Leopold I’s crew organised several worksh
Brisbane gave a warm welcome to RSS Persistence recently when the Singaporean Navy ship made a port call en route to a joint Australian and Singaporean Exercise being conducted off the coast of Queensland. The Commanding Officer Naval Headquarters South Queensland, Commander Peter Tedman, said the c
After returning home after spending most of 2014 away from their home port, the ship’s company of HMAS Anzac paused at Fleet Base East take a united stand against violence against women. With one woman killed each week in Australia as a result of domestic violence, Anzac’s crew took the time to draw
During their recent port visit to Djibouti, Dutch warship HNLMS van Speijk hosted a visit from the Committee for Civilian Aspects of Crisis Management, or CIVCOM, which is an advisory body within the European Union dealing with crisis management. The delegation consisted, amongst others, of sixteen
The Council has extended the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta by two more years, until 12 December 2016. The Operation’s main focus is the protection of World Food Programme vessels delivering humanitarian aid to Somalia; and the deterrence, repression and disruption of piracy off the Somali c
The Royal Australian Navy’s newest maritime combat helicopter, the MH-60R Seahawk ‘Romeo’, was introduced to the Australian public on 14 November with a spectacular flight over some of Sydney Harbour’s most iconic sites. It was a welcome return home to Australia from the United States for members of
The future Commander of Combined Maritime Forces Task Force 150 (CTF-150), Commodore Brian Santarpia (CAN N), visited NATO Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM) to discuss coordination and interaction with NATO forces in the Indian Ocean. During the visit, Commodore Santarpia met with MARCOM Deputy Comma
