Playing a key role in the EU Naval Force Somalia – Operation Atalanta are the Spanish Airforce P3-M Orion Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA). The aircraft are based in Djibouti and have been a stalwart part of the operation since 3 January 2009, they provide an unbroken expertise ass
Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland has intercepted two high speed drug smuggling skiffs in the Gulf of Oman, carrying an estimated £5.4m of cannabis resin. Having identified two suspicious high speed skiffs during a routine patrol, the Plymouth-based frigate embarked on a 30 mile pursuit and inte
HMS Dragon sailed from Portsmouth on Tuesday (March 19) on her maiden deployment, spending seven months on operations in the Middle East where she will build on the UK’s long term commitment to allies and regional partners[ in the world’s maritime centre of gravity. The Type 45 destroyer will police
On 15 March, the German Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD), deployed with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, transferred the responsibility for the protection of the World Food Programme (WFP) ship MV Caroline Scan to an AVPD from Finland. The German AVPD returns
The guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) visited Bar, Montenegro, for a port visit March 11-14. Sailors had the opportunity to experience Montenegro’s culture and spend time engaging with the community, including sporting events with Montenegrin sailors, tours of the towns of Perast, Kotor
Nudging between the rocks in the Kyle Akin, HMS Richmond is safely guided through narrow waters separating the Scottish mainland from the Isle of Skye by specialist navigators. The navigators have been tested to the limit over the past fortnight aboard the Portsmouth-based frigate, which has sailed
Royal Navy warship HMS Westminster, which is affiliated to its namesake borough, has arrived on the Thames alongside HMS Belfast for a six-day regional engagement visit. Sailing through the Thames barrier, beneath Tower bridge and past the O2, the Type-23 frigate gracefully transited through the cap
Three Crew Members of US Navy EA-6B Prowler Jet Die in Aircraft Crash (UPDATE) All three crew members aboard a Navy EA-6B Prowler jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., were killed when the aircraft crashed Monday morning in an unpopulate
The commander of U.S. 6th Fleet visited Sailors aboard USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69), USS Hue City (CG 66) and the German navy frigate FGS Hamburg (F220), while the ships were conducting operations in the 6th Fleet Area of Responsibility March 12. Vice Adm. Frank C. Pandolfe’s visit to Hamburg i
Commercially Supported Shipping has announced a £400,000 tender for Repair and Maintenance of Royal Navy vessels. The contractor will provide annual thermographic surveys on thirteen Royal Fleet Auxiliary vessels and on an Ad Hoc basis, eight small Royal Navy vessels. A part of the survey is require
After MV Royal Grace was released by pirates on Friday 8 March, it was EU Naval Force Spanish Offshore Patrol Vessel ESPS Rayo who ensured that the chemical tanker and her crew stayed safe as the vessel sailed north towards Omani waters. ESPS Rayo was conducting counter piracy patrols last Friday 8
The last of the Royal Navy’s Type 42 destroyers HMS Edinburgh has sailed into New York on her final international journey before being decommissioned from the Service. With the Statue of Liberty providing the backdrop, the company of HMS Edinburgh lined the decks as she gracefully manoeuvred through
HMS Northumberland flew the flag for Britain when she was Britain’s participant in a major naval exercise involving more than two dozen nations in Karachi. Hosted by the Pakistani Navy, Exercise Aman – Urdu for ‘peace’ – demonstrates the united resolve of the nations taking part to combat criminal a
HMS Dragon sails from Portsmouth on Tuesday (March 19) on her maiden deployment, spending seven months on operations in the Middle East. The Type 45 destroyer will police busy shipping lanes in the Indian Ocean conducting maritime security and counter piracy operations. Dragon is the fourth of the R
