On Tuesday 12 May 2015, EU Naval Force warship, ESPS Infanta Cristina, hosted the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Alfonso Gomez (Spanish Navy), during one of their counter-piracy patrols off the coast of Somalia. The Force Commander was welcomed on board by ESPS Infanta Cristina’s Commanding Office
The Spanish Minister of Defence, Mr Pedro Morenés, was the guest of honour during Operation Atalanta’s Force Headquarters Change of Command ceremony that was held on board Dutch flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, on Wednesday 6 May 2015 in Djibouti. At the ceremony Spain took Force Command of the Force
On Wednesday 6 May Dutch warship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, completed three and a half months as the flag ship for Operation Atalanta. Under the command of Captain René Lyuckx, she carried out counter-piracy patrols and gave support to EU sister mission, EUCAP Nestor, by providing Local Maritime Capacity
On Wednesday 6 May 2015 Spanish Navy warship, ESPS Rayo, completed her counter-piracy deployment with Operation Atalanta off the coast of Somalia. Since joining the Mission in December 2014, she has sailed more than 28,000 nautical miles in the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, conducting patrols a
Italian Navy’s Maestrale class frigate, Grecale F571, recently completed its 44th friendly approach as part of EU Operation Atalanta. The vessel approached a Yemeni dhow on May 3 to strengthen friendly ties and exchange information. ITS Grecale joined Operation Atalanta on February 17 and since cond
For the first time in over 50 years, a Royal Navy warship has visited the East African archipelago of Zanzibar. Currently deployed to the region, the Portsmouth based HMS Richmond stopped off to collect stores after a lengthy period at sea carrying out maritime security operations in the Indian Ocea
Dynamic Mongoose 2015 Begins NATO’s Anti-Submarine Warfare Exercise DYNAMIC MONGOOSE 2015 (DMON 15) began today, Monday, 4 May 2015, off the coast of Norway, with ships, submarines, aircraft and personnel from 10 Allied and 1 partner nation converging on the Norwegian Sea for anti-submarine and anti
On Wednesday 6 May 2015 Rear Admiral Alfonso Gómez from the Spanish Navy, assumed command of Operation Atalanta’s Force Headquarters (FHQ) during a ceremony held in Djibouti. The new FHQ staff, which is embarked in Spanish Navy warship, ESPS Galicia, is made up from 14 European Union Member States,
On Thursday 30 April the ship’s company and international Force HQ staff based on board the EU Naval Force flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, were presented with their Operation Atalanta counter-piracy medal by Force Commander, Rear Admiral Jonas Haggren. In his speech Rear Admiral Haggren thanked the s
The Italian Navy and Coast Guard, assisted by French vessels, tugs and commercial ships, rescued over 5,800 migrants over the weekend. Italian and French vessels conducted 17 separate rescue operation off Libyan coast as smugglers took advantage of calm seas to send boats packed with migrants across
Admiralty Shipyards Launches Sub Krasnodar Admiralty Shipyards held a ceremonial launching of diesel-electric submarine Krasnodar in Saint Petersburg, Russia, on April 25. USS Farragut Sent to Help Maersk Tigris U.S. Naval Forces Central Command in Bahrain answered a distress call yesterday morning
On Saturday 25 April the EU Naval Force flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, hosted a discussion forum with representatives from the Somaliland Authorities, including Ministers, the Head of the Coast Guard, Attorney General and the Governor and Mayor of Berbera. Also in attendance were a number of interna
Crewmembers from EU Naval Force flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, have trained young officers from the Somaliland Coast Guard off the coast of Berbera. On 23 and 24 April the young officers were invited on board Johan de Witt’s landing craft, and with the assistance of an interpreter, they were given t
HMS Prince of Wales’ Bridge Ready for First Sea Voyage The most iconic section of the second Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carrier has been loaded out of its dock hall in Glasgow ahead of its first sea voyage to Rosyth. VolkerStevin to Prepare HMNB Portsmouth for New Aircraft Carriers VolkerStevin