Since 21 September an EU Naval Force Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD) from Serbia has been embarked onboard the World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel MV Douro and will remain so for the next three months. One of the core tasks of EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atala
Australia will join with Five Power Defence Arrangements (FPDA) partners over the next fortnight to defend against a fictitious security threat in and around the South China Sea. Exercise Bersama Lima 2014 will see Defence Force elements from Australia, New Zealand, Malaysia, Singapore and the Unite
Having taken Operation Command of the EU Naval Force at the end of August, a priority for Major General Martin Smith MBE was to visit the Horn of Africa and the east African region to strengthen ties with the EU’s partners and highlight EU Naval Force’s commitment in the fight against Somali piracy.
EU NAVFOR Warship HNLMS Van Speijk escorted the World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel from 21-25 September before handing over to FGS Berlin allowing the Dutch Frigate to proceed north whilst the German Auxiliary Fleet Support vessel continued the escort from 26-29 September. “The broad range
USCG Commanding Officer of Activities Europe Temporarily Relieved The US Coast Guard temporarily relieved Capt. James B. Robertson, commanding officer of Activities Europe, Tuesday due to loss of confidence in his abilities to command. US Navy, Australia Order TIH Systems for Submarines DRS Laurel
On 28 September, EU Naval Force Flagship ITS Andrea Doria arrived in Port Sultan Qaboos, Muscat, Oman for a busy 4 day port visit. The port visit coincided with a port visit of the flagship of NATO Operation Ocean Shield, HDMS Esbern Snare and a visit of the Force Commander of Combined Maritime Forc
Recently, whilst conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden in an area with a large number of fishing vessels, EU Naval Force Warship ESPS Navarra conducted a friendly approach on a dhow. To help strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the EU Naval Force and local seafarers,
UK Navy’s HMS Richmond has trained Warfare Officers from 10 International and Commonwealth countries in a series of exercises off the South Coast exercises. Officers from Sweden, Chile, Pakistan, Brunei, Nigeria, Malaysia, Singapore, Algeria, Morocco and Kuwait have all been put through their paces
On Monday 22 September the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, met the Chinese Navy ship, CNS Changbaishan, in the Gulf of Aden. The EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, accompanied by the commanding officer of the flagship, Captain Gianfranco Annunziata, and an additional six offi
EU Naval Force frigate, ESPS Navarra, has resumed her counter-piracy patrols in the Indian Ocean after a short visit to the port of Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates. The visit was an opportunity for the crew to resupply the ship and have some rest and recuperation after spending a number of we
An Irish Joint Task Force (JTF) comprising members of the Revenue Customs Service, Naval Service and An Garda Síochána have implemented a co-ordinated operation at sea, which resulted in the detention of a yacht, MAKAYABELLA in the early hours of 23 September. A significant quantity of suspected con
On Thursday 18 September the Force Commander of the European Union’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, welcomed Captain Kim Jeong-Hyun, who is the Commanding Officer of the South Korean Destroyer, ROKS Munmu the Great, on board the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria
During his visit to Djibouti this week, the Operation Commander of the EU Naval Force, Major General Martin Smith MBE, took the opportunity to visit the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, at sea in the Gulf of Aden. He was accompanied during the visit by the European Union Ambassador in Dj
In the early morning of Friday 19 September, EU Naval Force frigate, ESPS Navarra, came to the assistance of a stricken yacht in the Gulf of Aden. The yacht had been detected on the warship’s radar in the early morning. ESPS Navarra’s Bridge team initially tried to hail the yacht via their VHF rad