On 22 February 2012, the EU NAVFOR combat support warship FGS BERLIN responded to a distress signal from a tanker that was under attack by suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden. On receipt of the radio call the FGS BERLIN immediately dispatched her two Seaking helicopters to the area while she close
EU NAVFOR hosted a press conference on 20 February 2012 to present an update on Operation ATALANTA, piracy off the Horn of Africa and a view towards future developments. The briefing was hosted by Operation Commander Rear Admiral Duncan L. Potts with Deputy Operation Commander Rear Admiral Rainer En
The Reuters reports that Iranian naval ships returned from Syria through the Suez Canal yesterday. The two warships entered the Suez Canal early in the morning and were expected to leave the canal same day afternoon. They had docked at Port of Tartous, Syria, in show of support for Syrian President.
Following his posting as Commander of the UK Counter-Piracy Task Group, Captain Gerry Northwood, Royal Navy, has written in The Times newspaper about how concerted efforts are helping reduce attacks on merchant vessels. Captain Northwood writes: “Eleven pirates on board with automatic weapons and ro
The instances of piracy off the coast of Somalia have been a constant source of concern for the Government. The Ministry of Shipping, in close co-ordination with the Ministry of External Affairs, Indian Navy and other agencies has been making discreet efforts to secure the release of Indian maritime
The flagship of Africa Partnership Station (APS) West 2012, USS Simpson (FFG 56), along with embarked staff, arrived in Tema, Ghana, Feb. 18 to begin their involvement with the APS 2012 Ghanaian hub. The hub, taking place after a recent port visit to Nigeria, brings training designed to strengthen A
Foreign Secretary William Hague thanked sailors on HMS Montrose for their efforts when he visited the Devonport-based frigate in South Africa. Mr Hague called on in on the warship in Simon’s Town as she paused her South Atlantic deployment briefly. The crew of HMS Montrose has been praised by the Fo
The Navy’s winter clampdown on piracy in the Indian Ocean – which has just ended – has been its most successful crackdown on the scourge to date. But the senior officer who led the four-month operation against the pirates says despite a series of successes by RFA Fort Victoria, and other allied vess
HMS Echo has visited the Seychelles Islands whose Coast Guard has been working with the Royal Navy to prevent piracy in the Indian Ocean and make the area safer for all seafarers. The combined efforts of the Royal Navy and the Seychelles Coast Guard over recent months have seen successful disruption
A team of 12 troops from Uganda, part of the African Mission in Somalia (AMISOM), received vessel protection training from French and Ukrainian specialists in Mombasa. The training is the second in an ongoing scheme and part of the comprehensive approach to improve AMISOM capabilities, in this case
The La Fayette Class Frigate, FS ACONIT, will join the EUNAVFOR counter piracy Task Force on 11 February. FS ACONIT has been in operational service with the French Navy since 1999 and has a displacement of 3,600 tons. The French ship joins OP ATALANTA operations with the mission to protect vulnerabl
The first 13 days of January were busy ones for NATO’s counter piracy task force; they successfully stopped and disrupted three separate pirate groups from launching attacks on legitimate maritime traffic. In the first incident on Friday 6th January the USS CARNEY acting on intelligence from other c
HMS Daring, the first of the Royal Navy’s new Type 45 air defence destroyers, passed through the Suez Canal on 30 January 2012. This transit marks the first time the stealthy silhouette of a Type 45 has been seen gliding through this sea highway. The canal is 120 miles (193km) long, 205 metres wide,
The Royal Australian Navy frigate, HMAS Parramatta, and Royal Saudi Naval Force Ship, RSNF AL-TAIF, rendezvoused in the Southern Red Sea to conduct a coordinated transit on 20 January 2012. The two ships are both operating with Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 (maritime counter terrorism), which is par
