Italian Navy frigate ITS Espero is en route to her homeport after over two months of counter-piracy patrols off the Horn of Africa as part of the EUNAVFOR operation Atalanta. During her 108-day deployment ITS Espero’s ship’s company helped deter and suppress pirate attacks which started again in 201
The French-UK led Combined Task Force (CTF) 150 seized nearly two tons of narcotics in the last two months during an operation called Southern Surge. The seizures included 1250 kg of heroin and 455 kg of hashish. Narcotics trafficking, particularly heroin, has long been associated with funding terro
Spanish Navy’s offshore patrol vessel Vigía arrived at naval base Puntales, Cadiz, on June 16, returning from a three-and-a-half month mission to the Gulf of Guinea. Vigía set sail from Cadiz on February 28 to conduct a series of activities in Africa as part of the Spanish government’s Defense Diplo
After completing port calls in Madagascar and Australia, ships from the Chinese PLA Navy’s 25th Task Group arrived in Auckland, New Zealand, on June 15. The ships are on a goodwill visit tour in Asia Pacific following their counter-piracy deployment in the Gulf of Aden. Composed of two Type 054A fri
Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Arunta interdicted 260kg of heroin in the north Indian Ocean off the coast of Africa on June 8. This is the frigate’s third drug interception as part of operation Manitou. The drugs were intercepted after the ship’s embarked Seahawk helicopter detected the suspicio
Ships from NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) joined Royal Moroccan Navy ships for a series of exercises off the coast of Casablanca, Morocco on Tuesday. SNMG2, consisting of flagship Spanish frigate ESPS Blas de Lezo and Turkish frigate TCG Gokceada joined Royal Moroccan Navy ships Mohammed V
The government of Canada has extended the country’s contribution to international maritime security operations in the Middle East and East Africa under operation Artemis. Announced by defence minister Harjit S. Sajjan and parliamentary secretary Jean Rioux, operation Artemis authorizes the Canadian
The crew of U.S. Navy’s Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyer USS James E. Williams (DDG 95) started their deployment departing Naval Station Norfolk on May 23. USS James E. Williams will be conducting a regularly-scheduled deployment to perform maritime operations in the Navy’s 5th and 6th F
Sailors from the Italian Navy’s Maestrale-class frigate ITS Espero carried out maritime training with a team from the Djiboutian Navy during their recent port visit in Djibouti. Currently part of the EUNAVFOR’s counter-piracy operation Atalanta, ITS Espero worked with EUCAP Somalia staff during the
Royal Australia Navy frigate HMAS Arunta seized some 250 kilograms of heroin from a vessel off the coast of Africa. The interdiction took place on May 10 in the waters of the Indian Ocean. This is also Arunta’s second narcotic interdiction since she joined counter-terrorism operations in December la
U.S. and Royal Moroccan Navy vessels took part in cooperation exercises in Moroccan waters on May 5. Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Vella Gulf (CG 72) conducted maritime interdiction operations (MIO) and small boat defense procedures with Moroccan patrol vessel P306 RMNS Commandant El
French frigate FS Surcouf collaborated with a Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 Orion maritime patrol aircraft to make her first cocaine interception as part of the Combined Task Force 150 (CTF-150). Less than three weeks into its deployment, FS Surcouf made two narcotics seizures, with back to back
Warships and personnel from U.S., U.K. and France completed a two-week multilateral amphibious exercise in international waters off the coast of Djibouti and in the vicinity of Djibouti and Arta Beach. Named Alligator Dagger 17, the exercise is led by U.S. Naval Amphibious Forces, and joined by forc
A South Korean Navy ship already patrolling the Horn of Africa as part of an EU-led task force was sent to participate in an international anti-piracy drill that took place in the Gulf of Aden. The Chungmugong Yi Sun-sin-class destroyer ROKS Choe Yeong joined U.S., Japanese and Royal Navy warships i
