Royal Australian Navy’s Adelaide-class guided-missile frigate HMAS Melbourne returned to her Sydney homeport on February 28 after 203 days of deployment and five narcotics seizures. In the five interceptions, the frigate seized a total of 977 kg of heroin valued at approximately $390 million. Melbou
The Italian Navy transferred the ‘GO59’ floating dry dock from the Sicilian Augusta Naval Base to the Brindisi Naval Base, February 24. The undertaking was part of the rationalization of the Armed Forces resources and was planed out in December 2015. The new dock will replace the old, no longer usab
NATO’s Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) has been patrolling in the Aegean Sea between Greece and Turkey since February 12, 2016. The group arrived in the area to participate in national and international efforts to cut the lines of illegal trafficking and illegal migration in the Aegean Sea, a
Representatives of the U.S. Navy and other Pacific Partnership nations gathered in Singapore February 22-26 for a planning conference in preparations for the 2016-mission. Now in its 11th year, Pacific Partnership is the largest annual multilateral humanitarian assistance and disaster relief prepare
A total of 20 ships from NATO member countries are set to take part in the NATO’s, Norway-hosted, exercise Cold Response. The operational phase of the exercise will start on March 3 in Trondheim, Norway. Most of the ships from Norway, Denmark, England, France, Poland, The Netherlands, and Spain have
Australian Prime Minister and the Minister of Defence unveiled the long-awaited 2016 Australian Defence White Paper February 25. The plan is set to increase defence spending by AUS $29.9 billion (approx. US $21.5 billion) over the following ten years. A Defence Industry Policy Statement (DIPS) and a
Royal Navy’s Type 23 frigate HMS St Albans has rescued two men trapped on a sinking vessel in the Gulf of Oman. Whilst carrying out maritime security operations the frigate was contacted by an Omani Air Force surveillance aircraft and asked to respond to a stricken dhow in the Gulf of Oman. The airc
Boarding party teams of the Royal Australian Navy’s Adelaide-class frigate HMAS Darwin recently sharpened their counter-terrorism skills as the ship begins maritime patrols in the Middle East region with Combined Maritime Forces (CMF). During Darwin’s stopover in Bahrain, the Australian sailors cond
The UK Ministry of Defence has awarded French defence company Thales a £19 (approx. $26.4) million contract to perform a mid-life update to the External Communications Voice Distribution and Management System (called KMY) for the Royal Navy (RN) Type 23 frigate fleet. Known as KRS (KMY Replacement S
The Chinese Navy has received a new-generation indigenously-built guided missile frigate, the People’s Liberation Army official news site said yesterday, February 24. The new 140-meter long and 16-meter wide vessel was named Xiangtan, after a city in the Chinese Hunan Province. The report further sa
Norwegian maritime services company Bergen Group Services has been awarded a one-year extension of the contract for the ship technical maintenance of the Norwegian Navy’s Fridtjof Nansen frigates. The company said the contract has an estimated value of NOK 70 (approx. $8.1) million. The project invo
On Saturday February 20, 2016 Operation Atalanta ships visited the Tanzanian port city Dar es Salaam. While in port, Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri, Op Atalanta Force Commander received the mission’s Deputy Commander Rear Admiral Jonas Wikström aboard the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Carabiniere. Thi
Her Majesty’s Canadian Ship (HMCS) Winnipeg returned to Canadian Forces Base (CFB) Esquimalt on February 23 after an eight-and-a-half month deployment and participation in two international exercises. On Operation REASSURANCE, HMCS Winnipeg served with two Standing NATO Maritime Groups, supported NA
New Zealand’s Foreign Minister Murray McCully said that the Navy’s Multi-Role Vessel the HMNZS Canterbury would be sent to Fiji to support relief and recovery efforts following tropical cyclone Winston. According to a tweet by the Fiji government spokesman, 42 people were confirmed dead in the wake
