On Tuesday 2 September the EU Force Commander, Rear Admiral Guido Rando, welcomed the Commander of the Japanese Escort Task Group, Captain Tsutomu Okawa, on board the EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria. Both ships are conducting counter-piracy operations in the Gulf of Aden. The Japanese Es
On Saturday 30 August, EU Naval Force warship BNS Leopold I conducted their first friendly approach with two Yemeni fishing vessels. Having sighted the vessels at sea with approximately 15 men, women and children on board, the warship’s Boarding Party was dispatched to investigate the situation. O
On Thursday 28 August EU Naval Force flagship, ITS Andrea Doria, and Combined Maritime Force frigate, HMAS Toowoomba, met at sea in the Gulf of Aden. As both warships were in close proximity to each other, crewmembers from both warships took the opportunity to ‘cross-deck’ to the other to meet sai
EU Naval Force Warship FGS Berlin conducts three Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) activities during a recent port visit to the Seychelles in support of EUCAP Nestor. LMCB are conducted by the European Union to build the capacity of security forces of regional partners in the fight against p
HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën is on her way home after a successful three months deployment to the EU Naval Force Operation Atalanta, the counter-piracy mission of the European Union. Before joining Operation Atalanta, the ship conducted two-weeks of pre-deployment training on her way to the Suez Cana
HNLMS Van Speijk, the Royal Netherlands Navy (RNLN) multipurpose frigate, arrived on the African east coast for her participation within the EU Naval Force. However, before entering the area of operations further preparation was necessary: additional specific training for the mission and the integ
On 15 and 16 August the Force Commander of EU Naval Force (EUNAVFOR), Rear Admiral Guido Rando, visited HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën and ESPS Navarra. The Dutch frigate is currently conducting the last patrol of her 4 months deployment in the EU’s counter-piracy Operation Atalanta, whilst the Spanish
On Tuesday 12 August, whilst conducting counter-piracy patrols in the Gulf of Aden, the EU Naval Force flagship and Italian Navy destroyer, ITS Andrea Doria, gave assistance to a stricken yacht. The yacht’s two French crewmembers had put out a mayday signal after they suffered engine failure. The
UK Awards £348 Million Warship Contract More than 800 Scottish jobs have been protected thanks to a £348 million contract to build 3 new vessels for the Royal Navy. The offshore patrol vessels (OPVs), which will be used by the Royal Navy to undertake various tasks in support of UK interests both at
On 11 of August 2014 the Combat Support Ship FGS Berlin received a visit from the Force Commander of the European Union Naval Force Somalia Rear Admiral Guido Rando. It was the first visit aboard an Operation Atalanta unit other than the flagship since he assumed command on 6 August in Djibouti. T
A Royal UK Navy frigate has been training with the Nigerian Navy allowing for an exchange of skills and techniques. HMS Iron Duke paid a short visit to Lagos, Nigeria, West Africa’s most populous city where the frigate worked with the Nigerian Navy as well as hosting a UK Trade and Industry Expo.
On 11 August EU Naval Force ship HNLMS De Zeven Provinciën completed an escort of a World Food Program (WFP) vessel along the coast of Somalia. Escorting WFP vessels is one of the primary tasks of Operation Atalanta. The WFP chartered merchant vessel left the port of Berbera on Saturday, 9 August
The new flagship of EU Naval Force ITS Andrea Doria conducted its first friendly approach in the Gulf of Aden. To help strengthen mutual understanding and trust between the EU Naval Force and local seafarers, as well as obtain first hand information about possible piracy incidents in the area, EU
NATO’s Counter-Piracy Mission, Operation Ocean Shield, has bid farewell to the Italian destroyer ITS MIMBELLI. The ITS MIMBELLI left Task Force 508 on Wednesday, 6 August 2014, after a job very well done as part of Operation Ocean Shield. The continuous, main effort of Task Force 508 is keeping co
