Ships from NATO’s Mine Countermeasures Group Two (SNMCMG2) completed a port visit to Algiers, Algeria on October 20. The crews of the ships participated in multiple activities ashore and after getting underway on Thursday, all four NATO ships participated in drills with Algerian naval forces to prac
French Navy’s stealth frigate La Fayette was recently welcomed into the port of Mombasa, Kenya in what was the first visit of an EU Naval Force ship to the Kenyan port in over a year. FS La Fayette is currently deployed to Operation Atalanta contributing to counter-piracy activities off the Horn of
Spanish Navy frigate ESPS Santa Maria is currently deployed with Operation Atalanta in the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean as part of Spain’s contribution to the European Union’s efforts to ensure piracy remains suppressed off the coast of Somalia. To ensure the Spanish marines on board remain fully p
German Navy minehunter FGS Datteln rescued 133 migrants 75 kilometers north-west of Tripoli, Libya on August 1. The ship was initially tasked by the Force Headquarters to neutralize two empty rubber boats. While doing so, the ship’s crew spotted an overcrowded rubber boat in the vicinity. Upon rescu
U.S. Navy’s Wasp Amphibious Ready Group (ARG) and the embarked 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit (MEU) worked with Royal Moroccan Naval Forces during the joint exercise African Sea Lion 2016. The exercise took place between July 10 – 14. Forty-two Royal Moroccan Navy and Royal Moroccan Naval Infantry p
After taking part in the advanced multinational mine countermeasures (MCM) exercise Spanish Minex-16, minehunter Duero (M-35) integrated into the European Maritime Force (EUROMARFOR) to take part in the Italian Minex-16 and the maritime security exercise MCE-16 in Tunisian waters. The Spanish M-35,
Spanish frigate ESPS Santa Maria, currently deployed to Operation Atalanta, recently participated in an exercise with Japan Maritime Self Defense Force (JMSDF) ships JS Yuudachi and JS Yuugiri in the Gulf of Aden. The three warships sailed together in close formation and their Seahawk helicopters to
Two Operation Atalanta ships, FGS Bayern and ITS Euro, recently trained with the Seychelles Marine Police Unit and the Djiboutian Coastguard, respectively. Sailors from Operation Atalanta’s German Flagship, FGS Bayern, spent a day working with the Seychelles Marine Police Unit (MPU) during their por
French shipbuilder DCNS delivered ‘Gamal Abdel Nasser’, the first of two Mistral-class helicopter carriers, to the Egyptian Navy on June 2. The LHD (Landing Helo Dock) ships were acquired by the Arab Republic of Egypt on October 10, 2015. Built by STX France in Saint-Nazaire the two Mistral-class ve
Members of the Tanzanian Navy were welcomed on board FGS Bayern for a day of maritime training with Operation Atalanta sailors and marines, on May 16. The training focused on fast-roping drills and damage control skills, such as fire-fighting and flood control as sea. On completion of the training,
Ships assigned to Standing NATO Maritime Group Two task unit 02 (SNMG2 TU.02) recently concluded a busy port visit in Casablanca, Morocco with a passing exercise and boarding exercise off the coast of Morocco. SNMG2 TU.02 led by Canadian Navy Commander Trevor MacLean included HMCS Fredericton (FFH 3
The international maritime exercise Phoenix Express 2016 was kicked off May 17, in the Mediterranean. Navies from Europe, North Africa, and the United States gathered to begin the 10th iteration of the exercise. Phoenix Express is sponsored by U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and facilitated by U.S. Na
The EU Political and Security Committee on May 18 appointed Brigadier Robert Magowan, an officer from the British Royal Marines, as Operation Commander for the EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta. Brigadier Magowan is taking the place of Major General Martin Smith. He is expected to take up h
One Spanish and one Royal Morocco Navy frigate met in the Gulf of Cadiz to conduct the bilateral exercise MAES-16 from May 4 – 12. Spanish Santa Maria-class frigate Canarias and Moroccan Sigma-class frigate Allal Ben Abdellah carried out a series of training activities in the Gulf of Cadiz under the
