Twenty-three nations, 47 ships, six submarines, more than 200 aircraft and 25,000 personnel will participate in the biennial Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC) exercise scheduled June 26 to Aug. 1, in and around the Hawaiian Islands. The world’s largest international maritime exercise, RIMPAC provides a
On 30 April, container ship MV Jumme Trader launched a SOS message after a crew member became very ill. The SOS was picked up by the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg and the Force Commander on board immediately directed EU Naval Force French warship, FS Floréal, to provide medical assistance
On April 17th, a boarding team of HNLMS Evertsen of the Dutch Navy boarded BigLift’s Happy Dragon in a drill against piracy. The drill took place in the Gulf of Aden. HNLMS Evertsen and Happy Dragon met out at sea to practice a so-called boarding operation. Happy Dragon assumed the part of a captu
Cardiff based P2000 HMS Exploit has completed a tour of Scotland and Northern Ireland visiting a range of Islands, lochs, villages and towns over the past month. Exploit began her journey from the busy tourist resort of Portrush on the north coast of Northern Ireland, catching a sight of the famou
On Thursday 1 May Latvia celebrated its 10th anniversary as a member of the European Union. During the past decade Latvian National Armed Forces have made a significant contribution to EU operations, including the EU’s counter-piracy mission off the coast of Somalia, Operation Atalanta. Latvian Na
The Oliver Hazard Perry-class frigate USS Taylor (FFG 50), homeported in Mayport, Fla., departed Constanta, Romania, following a scheduled port visit, May 1. Taylor’s presence in Romania reaffirms to NATO allies that the U.S. Navy shares a commitment to strengthen ties while working toward mutual
Commander of Standing NATO Maritime Group ONE (SNMG1) Commodore Nils Andreas Stensønes took command of NATO’s counter terrorism task force supporting Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR on Wednesday, 23 April 2014. SNMG1 presently consists of the flagship HNoMS THOR HEYERDAHL and FGS MAGDEBURG, and receive
The Greek Navy frigate HS Psara which has been deployed with the European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta since February has provided emergency medical assistance to the crew member of a dhow. It was during a routine flight by a Japanese Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance
HNLMS Groningen left the port of Den Helder on April 28th bound for the Caribbean, where the patrol vessel will operate as guard ship. On the way there, the crew of HNLMS Groningen will carry out a strenuous exercise programme. In Lisbon, HNLMS Groningen will train with other countries that take p
The CAMCOPTER® S-100 Unmanned Air System (UAS) successfully demonstrated its capability across several different maritime scenarios to Dutch Authorities in Den Helder, The Netherlands, on 29 April 2014. Consolidating its unmatched maritime position, the S-100 demonstrated its ability to support ma
During the recent port visit of EU Naval Force Warship FS Floréal to the Seychelles, the ship conducted Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) with the Seychelles Coastguard. The training with the Seychelles Coastguard was conducted in three sections. Firstly, two members of FS Floréal’s ship’s c
Following their recent port visit to the Seychelles, EU Naval Force Warship FS Floréal assisted four Seychelles fishermen who were stopped in the water having suffered an engine failure on their way back to the Seychelles. FS Floreal was just a few hours from the Seychelles when she saw the small
Four Royal Air Force Typhoons deployed yesterday to take part in the Nato Baltic air policing mission over Estonia, Latvia and Lithuania. The UK fast jets will reinforce the Polish contribution to the air policing mission; a standing defensive mission undertaken by rotations of aircraft from contr
A Scots Royal Naval officer has taken command of his first ship – the Plymouth-based frigate HMS Sutherland which has strong Scots roots. Commander Stephen Anderson assumed command 25 April at a supersession ceremony in HM Naval Base Devonport when he took over from second-in-command Lieutenant Co
