“The Ukrainian Navy is very much looking forward to joining the European Union Naval Force, which has made a significant contribution in the fight against piracy over the past five years.” On Tuesday 17 December 2013, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean, the Force Commander of the European Union’s counter pi
Babcock is beginning a six month Support Period (Docking) (SP(D)) on Sandown class mine hunter HMS Bangor at its Rosyth dockyard, which will include a number of upgrades and a substantial maintenance package. Bangor is due to go into dock later this week. The SP(D) is being carried out under Surface
When Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjéan took over the Force Headquarters of the EU Operation Atalanta on Friday 6 December, one of his first actions was to meet with the Force Commanders of the Combined Maritime Forces (CMF), Commodore Aage Buur Jensen, and NATO’s Operation Ocean Shield, Rear Admiral Eugeni
On Friday morning 13 December 2013, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean, who is the EU Force Commander for Operation Atalanta warships conducting counter piracy patrols off the Somali coast, visited Federal German Ship (FGS) Hessen. After being flown on board FGS Hessen by the German warship’s Sea Lynx MK-88
The Royal New Zealand Navy frigate HMNZS Te Mana has arrived off the coast of Somalia to conduct counter-piracy operations as part of Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) Combined Task Force 151 (CTF 151). HMNZS Te Mana’s deployment to CTF 151 is part of the New Zealand Defence Force’s contribution to CMF
Spanish fleet replenishment ship ‘Cantabria’ has just departed from Aksaz (Turkey), the third and final port of call after visiting Indonesia and India during her cruise back to Spain. Since her departure from Sydney on November 1st, the ship has sailed 39 days with two logistic calls at Jakarta (In
On Sunday, 15 December 2013, EU Naval Force French flagship, FS Siroco hosted a meeting with Somaliland representatives, including Vice President Abdirahman Abdallahi Ismail Saylici. “We welcome this engagement with EUCAP Nestor as it will pave the way for technical cooperation in the field of mar
Portsmouth-based warship HMS Lancaster returns home to Portsmouth on Wednesday (December 18) from a successful drug-busting deployment to the North Atlantic and Caribbean. The Type 23 frigate spent seven months in the region, seizing drugs with a total street value of £160m. “Seven months is a long
Members of a fly-away team from Norfolk Naval Shipyard (NNSY) successfully completed a first-time installation of critical decoy system components aboard USS Ramage (DDG 61), in Souda Bay, Greece, Dec. 5. The team installed platforms for the MK 59 decoy system as a part of the chief of naval operati
On Wednesday 11 December the Force Commander of EUNAVFOR, Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjéan, visited ITS Libeccio. The Italian warship is currently conducting counter piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as part of the European Union’s Operation Atalanta. The visit was an opportunity for the
On Wednesday 11 December, Spanish EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) ship ESPS Tornado completed a three day escort of a World Food Programme (WFP) chartered vessel. The WFP ship was escorted by ESPS Tornado from Mombasa to the port of Kismayo in Somalia. During the escort, members of the Spanish Navy crew
The first of a total of four 125 Class frigates for the German Navy was today christened “Baden-Württemberg” at a ceremony at the Hamburg site of ThyssenKrupp Marine Systems – a company of ThyssenKrupp Industrial Solutions. This is an important milestone in the construction program for the F125 Clas
After supporting ongoing British relief efforts in the Philippines, HMS Daring has arrived in Shanghai. The goodwill visit to China comes at an important time in bilateral relations, just after the UK-China summit when Prime Minister David Cameron led a strong delegation of ministers and businessmen
On Friday 6 December 2013, the French Navy ship FS Siroco joined the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. FS Siroco will be the flagship of the European Union’s counter piracy operation off the coast of Somalia for the next four months. Rear Admiral Hervé Bléjean is the Force Comma