Laws and Regulations
Counter-Piracy Week: African Nations Should Lead Anti-Piracy Efforts
More than 200 participants including representatives from African nations, the shipping industry, legal experts and NATO discussed the continuing threat of piracy off the eastern African coast at an international conference held in Djibouti this week. The meeting was the 15th Plenary of the Contact
First NH90 Step B Delivered to Italian Navy
The first NH90 NFH Step B has been delivered to the Italian Navy. This fully operational naval helicopter will be assigned to the 5th Helicopter Squadron of the Italian Navy at the Sarzana-Luni base. The Italian Navy has ordered 56 NH90s, 46 of which in the NFH variant. “This NH90 Step B will allow
Ukrainian Navy Contributes to NATO’s Anti-Piracy Efforts
The Chairman of NATO’s Military Committee, General Knud Bartels, travelled to the Gulf of Aden on 28-30 October 2013 to visit the Ukrainian Navy frigate Hetman Sahaydachniy deployed there as part of Operation Ocean Shield, NATO’s counter-piracy mission. “Ukraine’s ability to plug in and out of NATO’
USS Ford Decommissioned
The Navy bade farewell to the Oliver Hazard Perry-class guided missile frigate USS Ford (FFG 54) after more than 28 years of service during a decommissioning ceremony at Naval Station Everett, Oct. 31. The ceremony featured former USS Ford commanding officers, plankowners and family of the ship’s na
UK: Army, RAF Experience Life on Board HMS Richmond
Army and RAF personnel have been getting their sea legs on board HMS Richmond while on her patrol of the South Atlantic. The Yorkshire Regiment and 230 Squadron RAF are affiliated to the Portsmouth-based Type-23 frigate and seven personnel were given the opportunity to stay on board and experience l
US Navy’s First JHSV Passes IOT&E
The Navy’s first Joint High Speed Vessel, USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1), successfully completed its Initial Operational Test and Evaluation (IOT&E) end-to-end event, NAVSEA announced Oct. 3. This test represents the last event in the JHSV program’s IOT&E schedule, a series of post-delivery test and trials
MTU Series 8000 Awarded Naval Vessel Rules Certification (Germany)
The MTU Series 8000 was recently awarded Naval Vessel Rules (NVR) certification by the American Bureau of Shipping (ABS). The new ABS NVR certification, a requirement for the U.S. Navy’s Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) and Joint High Speed Vessel (JHSV) programs, was awarded to Tognum subsidiary MTU Frie
Russia: RB-399 Completes Sea Trials
Russia’s Pella Shipyard has completed the sea part of the official trials of the tugboat “RB-399” building No 937, pr. 90600. Before the end of this year the tugboat will be put into operation within the Russian Federation’s Northern Fleet. The tugboat is intended for towing and berthing operations
Pella Shipyard Completes Trials of Russian Navy’s Tugboat
Pella Shipyard has completed the trials of the tugboat “MB-93”, building No 504, the second from the series of 6 tugboats of project PE-65, built for the Russian Navy. In November the tugboat will be put into operation within RF Pacific Fleet. Assignment: towing of vessels and floating objects in ha
Latvia: Final Planning for Upcoming Military Exercises Underway
The Final Coordination Conference for the upcoming military exercises “Steadfast Jazz 2013” and “Baltic Host 2013” is currently underway in Riga, Latvia. The conference, which is taking place from the 9th – 11th September, includes over 250 participants from NATO military staff as well as participat
UK: JFD Announces Launch of Its New Range of SDVs
James Fisher Defence (JFD), the leading global sub-sea rescue, operations and engineering company, today announced the launch of its new range of Swimmer Delivery Vehicles (SDVs) known as The SEAL Pod. The launch further strengthens its Special Operations division as well as the breadth of products
UK: BMT Presents New Platform Design Concepts at DSEI 2013
BMT Defence Services (BMT), a subsidiary of BMT Group, is proud to launch two innovative, new platform design concepts at DSEI 2013. Both the BMT Venator®-110 Multi-Mission Reconfigurable Warship and the Vidar®-7 Small Modern SSK Submarine have been developed to deliver maximum capability, flexibili
Spain: BAM Tornado Presented with Battle Ensign
The Maritime Action Ship (BAM in its Spanish initials) ‘Tornado’ has received the Battle Ensign in the city of Ceuta. The Ensign was presented by the wife of the City Mayor, María Dolores Puya. The ceremony was presided over by the Fleet Commander (ALFLOT) Admiral Santiago Bolíbar, and the Governor
Operation Atalanta: Meteoro Relieves Numancia
Spanish Maritime Action Ship (BAM) ‘Meteoro’ relieved on August 7 the frigate ‘Numancia’ in the port of Djibouti. Operation ‘Atalanta’ is a EU-led mission fighting piracy in the coast of Somalia. Meteoro will remain in the theatre of operations for a period of four months. Her mission will be to pro