The crew of hunter-killer submarine HMS Trenchant have passed the nine-month barrier on their marathon tour of duty in the Indian Ocean. The Plymouth-based boat has clocked up 277 days on patrol since leaving Devon last year, continually maintaining the UK’s submarine presence east of Suez. She sail
The Spanish Oceanic Patrol Vessel ESPS Rayo, as part of the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta, has taken advantage of her second port visit in Djibouti to conduct training on 20 and 21 March 2013 with the Djiboutian Navy and Coast Guard. The Boarding Team of ESPS Rayo and Spani
IMO has pledged its support to assist in the implementation of a new Code of Conduct concerning the prevention and repression of piracy, armed robbery against ships and illicit maritime activity in west and central Africa, which has been adopted at a Ministerial meeting in Cotonou, Benin. The Code i
A Plymouth based frigate has played a starring role in a maritime security exercise off the coast of West Africa. Whilst on deployment on Atlantic Patrol Task (South) reassurance duties, the Type 23 frigate, HMS Argyll, has successfully completed the multi-national exercise, Saharan Express, off the
Some contributing nations support the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia – Operation Atalanta with specialised assets to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa. Estonia supports Operation Atalanta with a Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD) on board the French frigate FS Courbet. VPDs are ready to emba
On 17 March, during a visit by the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez to Salalah, the Force Commander, Rear Admiral Pedro García de Paredes, met with Omani officials in Salalah. The EU NAVFOR Force Commander met the Commander of the Royal Navy of Oman’s
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
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 multinational maritime exercise Saharan Express 2013 (SE-13) successfully concluded with post-sail discussions and a press conference, March 14. SE-13, which began March 7, is a maritime exercise designed to improve cooperation among participating nations in order to increase counter-piracy capa
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
Guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) transited the Suez Canal departing the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility March 8. Farragut was on station for six months conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedo
It has been a busy couple of days for EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez. The Spanish warship, which is conducting EU counter piracy patrols off the Somali coast, was once again able to provide much needed protection, this time to super tanker MV Smyrni, after the vessel was relea
On 04 March, during a port visit to Djibouti by the European Union Naval Force flagship, ESPS Méndez Núnez, her crew welcomed on board a group of ten members of the Djiboutian Coast Guard in order to conduct training exercises. The purpose of the visit was to conduct training for the Djiboutian Coas
