Vessels
North Korea sanctions: Royal Navy frigate spots illicit fuel transfer at sea
Royal Navy frigate HMS Montrose recently documented a North Korean ship carrying out an illegal ship-to-ship fuel transfer in the East China Sea. Working alongside Japanese partners on March 2, the British frigate spotted the North Korean-flagged tanker Saebyol, which was transmitting on ship tracki
US, Royal Thai Navy anti-submarine warfare drill Guardian Sea kicks off
Assets from the US Navy and Royal Thai Navy (RTN) kicked off the 8th edition of exercise Guardian Sea in the Andaman Sea on April 7. A US Navy Los Angeles-class fast attack submarine and underway replenishment oiler along with two Thai frigates, a corvette and a Sea Hawk helicopter will take part in
Australia hands over Guardian-class patrol boat to Tuvalu
Australia handed over a Guardian-class patrol boat to the Pacific Island country Tuvalu in a ceremony in Perth, Australia, on April 5. The 39.5 meter steel hulled patrol boat was built by Australian shipbuilder Austal under an AUD 335 million program that will see 21 boats gifted to 12 Pacific Islan
MAN to power Canada’s Joint Support Ships
Canadian shipbuilder Seaspan Shipyards has awarded MAN Energy Solutions Canada a CAD 55 million contract to provide essential power generation and propulsion systems for the Royal Canadian Navy’s new Joint Support Ships. Propulsion and power generation components will include two MAN 12V32/44CR (Com
Germany’s SeaSpider anti-torpedo torpedo passes first sea trials
German Bundeswehr Technical Center for ships and naval weapons, maritime technology and research (WTD 71) recently completed sea trials of the SeaSpider anti-torpedo torpedo in the Baltic Sea. The trials were carried out sometime in 2018 from a WTD 71 multipurpose vessel in cooperation with defense
NATO sets up new surface command
NATO’s Allied Maritime Command hosted a ceremony on the 70th anniversary of the alliance to ceremonially activate a new command called Commander Surface Forces NATO (COMSURFNATO). This April 4 activation is part of NATO’s Command Structure Adaptation (NCS-A) remarking new NATO at its birthday. One o
US Navy hosts industry day as $21B public shipyards upgrade project gets underway
The US Naval Sea Systems Command is kick-starting the $21 billion plan to upgrade the four public shipyards to improve their productivity and increase their maintenance throughput in order to support the combat readiness of the navy the nation needs. The Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) Shipyard I
Australia buys second MQ-4C Triton UAV
The Australian defense ministry announced it is buying the second of a planned fleet of six MQ-4C Triton remotely piloted aircraft. Australia is acquiring the Tritons through a cooperative program with the United States Navy. The MQ-4C is being acquired to complement Poseidon P-8A maritime patrol ai
Australian helicopter carrier, submarine arrive in India for exercise Ausindex
A Royal Australian Navy task group composed of a helicopter carrier, frigates, and a submarine arrived in India ahead of the start of exercise Ausindex. This is the second time India is hosting the exercise, which was first held in September 2015 at Visakhaptnam. Landing helicopter dock HMAS Canberr
Eighth national security cutter completes acceptance trials
The US Coast Guard’s eighth national security cutter, USCGC Midgett, has completed acceptance trials in the Gulf of Mexico, shipbuilder Huntington Ingalls Industries announced. Midgett (WMSL 757) spent two days underway proving its systems with the US Navy’s Board of Inspection and Survey (INSURV) o
Royal Navy task group embarking on two-month Baltic Sea deployment
The Royal Navy is set to deploy a large task group to the Baltic Sea for two months of international operations. Amphibious transport dock HMS Albion will spearhead the “Baltic Protector” mission, involving nearly 2,000 British personnel from all three services. The deployment is the first large-sca
India cleared to buy 24 MH-60R helicopters under potential $2.6B deal
The US State Department has approved a possible sale of 24 MH-60R multi-mission helicopters to India under a deal which, in case it is realized, would cost an estimated $2.6 billion. In addition to helicopters, the ale would include APS-153(V) multi-mode radars, a thousand sonobuoys, AGM-114 Hellfir
USS Dwight D. Eisenhower completes sea trials after repairs
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) completed its sea trials following an overhaul which lasted three times longer than expected. Ike returned to Naval Station Norfolk on April 1, after getting underway five days earlier. The sea trials were the first time Ike returned to sea
USS Abraham Lincoln starts homeport change deployment
US Navy aircraft carrier USS Abraham Lincoln got underway from Norfolk to start a deployment in which it will sail around the world before arriving at its new homeport in San Diego. The carrier will shift homeports after completing a mid-life overhaul at the Huntington Ingalls Industries’ Norfolk Na