Two NATO counter-piracy task force (CTF-508) warships, ITS MIMBELLI and TCG GÖKÇEADA, recently engaged in training regional partners in counter-piracy operations to enhance their respective abilities in improving maritime security in the waters off their coasts. Last week, the Italian frigate ITS
The oceanic patrol vessel (OPV) ‘Infanta Elena’ called at the port of Nouakchott (Mauritania) to conduct joint training exercises with the Mauritanian Navy. This is the last port of call of her APS deployment before returning back to Spain. During the call, more than 30 Mauritanian servicemen part
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
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
On Saturday 26 April the master of a dhow spoke of his relief after 6 armed pirates, who had taken his vessel and crew hostage, fled the scene after sightings of an EU Naval Force Spanish maritime patrol and reconnaissance (MPRA) aircraft. The master confirmed his ordeal to members of the Boarding
During a port visit to Djibouti, Rear Admiral Jürgen zur Mühlen, met with the Chinese Military Attaché to Djibouti, Ji Mingzhou, on board the EU Naval Force flagship FGS Brandenburg. During the meeting they discussed the key issues related to counter piracy off the Horn of Africa and the successfu
On Wednesday 23 April the German Secretary of Defence, Ursula von der Leyen, visited the EU Naval Force flagship, FGS Brandenburg during the German warship’s port visit to Djibouti. In what was her first visit to the German Navy since her inauguration, she met the troops from the European Union’s co
International Warships Dock in China for Multinational Drill China will host ships from seven countries these days ahead of the exercise “Sea Cooperation 2014″, according to the Times of India. The Indian Navy’s warship INS Shivalik arrived in one of the 10 busiest ports in the world, the Chinese Po
Exercise Obangame Express 2014, the multinational maritime exercise in the Gulf of Guinea, concluded April 23. Obangame Express, which began April 16, provided African, European and Atlantic partner naval forces the opportunity to work together, refine tactics, and improve cooperation in order to
Joint, high-speed vessel USNS Spearhead (JHSV 1) arrived in Libreville, Gabon, for a port visit, April 23. The port visit serves to continue U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa’s efforts to work with African partners to strengthen maritime partnerships throughout Africa. “For the past few months, we’v
U.S., European, South American and African naval forces concluded two days of in-port familiarization drills at the Nigerian navy’s Joint Maritime Security Training Center, April 17. The evolutions were part of Obangame Express, a Gulf of Guinea-based multinational maritime exercise designed to im
USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000) Christened The christening ceremony of the first Zumwalt-class destroyer, the USS Zumwalt (DDG 1000), took place at General Dynamics-Bath Iron Works shipyard located in Bath, Maine on 12 April, 2014. Secretary of the U.S. Navy, Ray Mabus, and other honored guests attended the
