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
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 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
Guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) and senior staff members from U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa concluded a three-day port visit of training, band engagements, and senior staff talks in Casablanca, Feb. 2. During the visit, Simpson conducted visit, board, search and seizure training with R
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
USS Halsey (DDG 97) responded to a call of distress from M/V Albrouj, a Yemeni dhow that was en route to Somalia from Yemen, while the U.S. ship was conducting helicopter operations in the Gulf of Aden, Jan. 19. The guided-missile destroyer Halsey, which was two hours away from the position of the d
Three medical personnel assigned to Expeditionary Resuscitative Surgical System (ERSS) 7, embarked aboard guided-missile destroyer USS Pinckney (DDG 91) and seven visit, board, search, and seizure (VBSS) team members boarded a cargo ship to provide medical assistance to an injured civilian, Jan. 1.
On Friday 23 December, HM King Mohammed VI, Supreme Commander and Chief of Staff of the Royal Armed Forces, officially commissioned the most recent acquired SIGMA Frigate ‘Tarik Ben Ziyad’ for the Moroccan Royal Navy. The 105 meter long SIGMA Frigate, built by Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding, was t
Forces assigned to the John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group, rescued an Iranian fishing vessel from pirates in the northern Arabian Sea, Jan. 5. At approximately 12:30 p.m local time, an SH-60S Seahawk from guided-missile destroyer USS Kidd (DDG 100) detected a suspected pirate skiff alongside the I
For many, filling up the tank at their local petrol station would have no connection to the Royal Australian Navy. Most Australians would not realise that some of the goods they purchase at the supermarket and the fuel they consume has been provided safe passage to our shores by Australian sailors d
Several unknown pirate boats were unsuccessful in their attempt to hijack a Saudi oil tanker as the Iranian destroyer Jamaran intervened. It is most likely that the whole incident took place in the Sea of Oman where Iran is currently conducting massive wargames. Jamaran was part of Iran’s 16th fleet
On the morning of 17 December, following coordination between the staffs in Task Force 508 and 465, EUNAVFOR Flagship SPS PATIÑO provided fuel to the Danish frigate ABSALON operating as part of the NATO counter-piracy task force. The huge expanse of the Indian ocean, where a number of different Task
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset visited Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, to help celebrate the country’s 50th anniversary of independence on 10 December 2011. During the visit, the Type 23 Frigate hosted a number of Tanzanian dignitaries, and the ship’s company were welcomed as guests of this most hospitabl
