French frigate FS Floréal, which is currently deployed with the EU Naval Force, recently carried out several friendly approaches on dhows and skiffs off Somalia. With the consent of the ships’ masters, direct talks were conducted in order to strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the EU
The boarding squad of the Spanish Navy frigate ‘Cristóbal Colón’ (F-105) visited a ‘dhow’-type fishing boat north of the IRTC (Internationally Recommended Transit Corridor) in the Arabian Sea. The ‘dhow’ was sailing back to her Iranian home port with 16 people on board: 13 Iranian and 3 Pakistani
On Monday 19 May 2014, Dutch frigate HNLMS De Zeven Provenciën joined EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta. As the ship sailed towards the Gulf of Aden the crew maintained a high level of operational readiness. They conducted a hostage release exercise with a Dutch merchant vessel
US Navy Sailors Drive Potent New Riverine Boat It’s small, fast, heavily armed, networked and one of a kind. But the new coastal command boat just starting to operate in this region is giving sailors in the Persian Gulf a taste of the swift and bad-ass boats coming to the brown-water Navy. Construct
FGS Brandenburg, the Flagship of EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta has conducted a port visit to the port of Dar Es Salaam in Tanzania. The visit coincided with the worldwide Europe Day Celebrations celebrated on the anniversary of the Schuman declaration in 1950. Several events
Nigerian Navy Receives Former U.S. Coast Guard Cutter The U.S. Coast Guard and the Nigerian Navy held a ceremony Wednesday in North Charleston to officially sign the decommissioned Coast Guard Cutter Gallatin over to the Nigerian Navy. The Gallatin was offered to Nigeria April 24, 2013, through the
The oceanic patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Infanta Elena’ called at the port of Nouakchott (Mauritania) to conduct joint training exercises with the Mauritanian Navy. This is the last port of call of her APS deployment before returning back to Spain. During the call, more than 30 Mauritanian servicemen part
The men and women of HMAS Darwin are currently working hard conducting operations as part of Australia’s contribution to maritime security, counter-terrorism and counter-piracy operations in the Middle East Area of Operations. Embarked in Darwin is an S-70B-2 Seahawk helicopter with a helicopter c
USA: Babcock & Wilcox Company Gets USD 195 Million Naval Reactors Contracts The Babcock & Wilcox Company (B&W) announced yesterday that its subsidiary B&W Nuclear Operations Group, Inc. (B&W NOG) has received contracts and orders from the U.S. Naval Reactors Program worth approximately $195 million.
On April 17th, a boarding team of HNLMS Evertsen of the Dutch Navy boarded BigLift’s Happy Dragon in a drill against piracy. The drill took place in the Gulf of Aden. HNLMS Evertsen and Happy Dragon met out at sea to practice a so-called boarding operation. Happy Dragon assumed the part of a captu
The U.S. Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel met yesterday with Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy to discuss recent events in Egypt and the Middle East, as well as the defense relationship between the United States and Egypt. In a statement summarizing the meeting, Pentagon Press Secretary Navy Rear
The Greek Navy frigate HS Psara which has been deployed with the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta since February has provided emergency medical assistance to the crew member of a dhow. It was during a routine flight by a Japanese Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance
On the eve of Anzac Day commemorations, Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Darwin seized and destroyed more than one tonne of heroin. The record 1032 kilograms of heroin was discovered on board a dhow in the Indian Ocean, approximately 27 nautical miles east of Mombasa, Kenya. Late on the 23rd Apr
On Saturday 26 April the master of a dhow spoke of his relief after 6 armed pirates, who had taken his vessel and crew hostage, fled the scene after sightings of an EU Naval Force Spanish maritime patrol and reconnaissance (MPRA) aircraft. The master confirmed his ordeal to members of the Boarding