Dutch Navy frigate HNLMS Van Speijk intercepted 1,600 kilos of cocaine during a New Year’s Eve operation in the Caribbean region. The drugs were discovered on a Tanzanian flagged merchant ship en route to the Dominican Republic. An embarked NH-90 detected the suspicious ship prompting a US Coast Law
F124 air defense frigate FGS Sachsen will become the first German Navy vessel to deploy in 2018, getting underway from her homeport of naval base Wilhelmshaven on January 5. The lead ship of the F124 frigates is joining the EU-led operation Sophia in the Mediterranean Sea. The goal of the mission is
The joint venture team composed of UK defense contractor Babcock and Australia’s UGL has been awarded a new five year agreement for the maintenance of Royal Australian Navy’s Anzac-class frigates. Under a contract worth around £115 million (AU$200 million), the Naval Ship Management (NSM) joint vent
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga seized almost eight tons of hashish and 69 kilograms of heroin from three separate vessels in the Arabian Sea over a course of two days. The crew of Warramunga seized the drugs in an operation spanning between December 27 and 29, 2017. According to the A
UK helicopter carrier HMS Ocean has reportedly been bought by Brazil. The purchase was confirmed by Brazilian defense minister Raul Jungmann, according to UK Defence Journal. Brazil is reportedly paying £84 million for the UK helicopter carrier which recently returned from her final deployment as a
US Navy’s amphibious assault ship USS Wasp (LHD 1) pulled into Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, on December 28 for a final port call en route to her new homeport of Sasebo, Japan. Wasp departed Norfolk, Virginia, August 30, but was diverted to the Caribbean in the wake of hurricanes Irma and
The Republic of Korea Navy on December 27 announced the decommissioning of an Ulsan-class frigate and two Pohang-class corvettes. The decommissioned frigate is the Chungnam, with pennant number FF-953. The frigate spent 31 years in ROK Navy service after commissioning in 1986 as the third ship in th
Russia’s Sredne-Nevsky Shipyard held a keel-laying ceremony for the Russian Navy’s fifth Project 12700 minesweeper at its shipyard in St. Petersburg on December 26. By order of the Russian Navy chief Admiral Vladimir Korolev, the ship was named after the Soviet Union hero Yakov Balyayev. The vessel
The Russian Navy will be establishing a permanent presence at its Syrian bases after a deal signed with Syria was ratified by the lower house of the Russian Federal Assembly. According to Russian news outlet RIA, the bill – submitted earlier this month – was ratified on Tuesday. In addition to the n
BAE Systems’ San Diego and Norfolk Ship Repair units have landed overhaul contracts for three US Navy ships. According to the US defense department, BAE Systems San Diego will be responsible for the overhaul of Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Howard (DDG 83) and Avenger-class mine counter measure
US Marines embarked aboard French amphibious assault ship LHD Tonnerre (L9014) concluded ten days of amphibious operations in the vicinity of Djibouti during the Alligator Dagger exercise. US marines and sailors from the 15th Marine Expeditionary Unit and Naval Amphibious Force, Task Force 51/5th Ma
Russian shipbuilder Yantar delivered the third Project 11356 frigate ‘Admiral Makarov’ to the Russian Navy after a series of prolonged acceptance trials. The main reason for the delay were problems with the frigate-launched Shtil-1 surface to air missile system which had been unstable during operati
A Royal Navy frigate on fleet escort duty followed a Russian frigate as it passed through the North Sea and areas of UK interest on Christmas Day. HMS St Albans, a Portsmouth-based Type 23 frigate, was called upon to sail on December 23 and keep watch on the new Russian frigate Admiral Gorshkov as i
The Royal Navy will have a total of 13 vessels and one of its four Vanguard-class submarines on deployment overseas and in home waters over the holiday season, according to the Royal Navy. What is missing from the list of deployed assets are any major warships as no frigates or destroyers are curren
