Spanish Navy offshore patrol vessel (OPV) Serviola set sail from Ferrol to conduct a series of activities with African navies as part of the Defense Diplomacy Plan and a follow-on of the Africa Partnership Station (APS) initiative. These deployments are intended to enhance maritime security and coop
Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset will sail up the Clyde river in Scotland this weekend for a period of local engagement, the Royal Navy said. The Clyde-built Warship, one of thirteen Type 23 Duke-class frigates in service with the Royal Navy, arrives in Govan’s King George V Dock late on Friday eveni
The French Navy has taken delivery of the second Kership-built Bâtiment multi-mission ship named Bougainville. The second of overall three vessels in the class was delivered on September 16 and will soon head for its homeport in Papeete in French Polynesia. Kership, a joint venture between DCNS and
Royal Navy flagship HMS Ocean has sailed from Plymouth on a 6.5-month deployment during which it will serve as command ship for the international Combined Task Force 50 commander who will lead counter-terrorist activities. The amphibious assault ship will first form part of a UK Joint Expeditionary
A German maritime patrol and reconnaissance aircraft (MPRA) airdropped supplies to the Dutch Navy frigate HLNMS Tromp at sea in the Gulf of Aden. Both the ship and the plane are currently deployed to operation Atalanta and counter piracy activities off the coast of Somalia. The purpose of the over f
French shipbuilder DCNS has launched Bretagne, the French Navy’s fifth FREMM multi purpose frigate. The September 16 float out is an important achievement for DCNS as it shows that the shipbuilder is capable of delivering six of the frigates to the French Navy by 2019, the company said. Apart from F
The Arab Republic of Egypt has received the second and last Mistral-class helicopter carrier it acquired from France in October 2015. The change of flag ceremony for the amphibious assault ship which Egypt named Anwar El Sadat took place on September 16 and was attended by the two Chiefs of Staff of
Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth abandoned the scenario during a Canadian-hosted anti-submarine exercise in order to help a Canadian fisherman in the North Atlantic. The Plymouth-based ship was around 100 miles east of Nova Scotia when she picked up a mayday. The crew of the trawler Double Mischief r
Royal Netherlands Navy offshore patrol ship HNLMS Groningem has seized two tonnes of cocaine after intercepting a small fishing boat in the Caribbean Sea. Five crew members were detained and transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard together with the found contraband. A U.S. maritime reconnaissance plane
German Navy’s F123 frigate Mecklenburg-Vorpommern joined the European-led operation Sophia by taking over command of deployed German units from the German tender Werra in the Italian port of Augusta, Sicily, September 14. German soldiers and sailors participating in the Mediterranean Sea mission wil
Following a request for information (RFI) for its Squadron 2020 project to construct four ice-going offshore patrol vessels, the Finnish Navy has now signed a letter of intent (LOI) with the Rauma-based shipbuilding company Rauma Marine Constructions. If the LOI is realized, the company will build f
The European Union Council gave its final approval to the European Border and Coast Guard on September 14 and the EU now estimates the body will start its activities in mid-October. The main role of the European Border and Coast Guard is to help provide integrated border management at the external b
Royal Navy’s amphibious warship HMS Bulwark set sail on September 12 to lead a major exercise to the Adriatic and Arabian Seas. Plymouth-based HMS Bulwark has spent the last four weeks preparing for this autumn’s annual Joint Expeditionary Force (Maritime) (JEF) deployment with a combination of trai
German Navy frigate FGS Karlsruhe is scheduled to return from the Mediterranean Sea and her last operational deployment on September 16. The ship was first part of operation Sophia and later joined the NATO-led Again Sea patrol mission aimed at curbing people smuggling. Karlsruhe deployed half a yea
