Last week EU Naval Force confirmed that the Malaysian flagged Motor Vessel, MV Albedo, held by armed pirates in an anchorage close to the Somali coast since November 2010, had sunk in rough seas. Since then EU Naval Force warships and a Maritime Patrol Aircraft have conducted sea and air searches in
The Royal Navy’s HMS Protector, which had been due in the port of Ipswich from July 19-24, has been forced to pull out of her visit for operational reasons. The 90-metre Antarctic patrol vessel visited the Suffolk port last year and is affiliated to the City of Cambridge, home of the British Antarct
Assembly of the Royal Navy’s sixth Astute Class attack submarine, Agamemnon, has begun at Barrow-in-Furness. The keel, which is the first part of the boat to be built, was unveiled at a ceremony at BAE Systems’ shipyard in Barrow-in-Furness by Defence Minister Philip Dunne yesterday, 18 July. It com
Just days after sailors from HMS Argyll trekked across South Georgia, the crew of tanker RFA Black Rover were treated to a visit to the snow-laden paradise. The tanker, which has recently taken over from her sister Gold Rover in the South Atlantic, spent four days anchored in Cumberland Bay off the
The Ship’s Company of HMS Lancaster have been praised by police for helping detect three cannabis plantations in the Caribbean resulting in the seizure of 204 plants. HMS Lancaster is currently deployed on patrol in the North Atlantic and Caribbean and was on a visit to the island of Anguilla when t
The Royal Navy frigate HMS Somerset hoisted the new Somerset County flag after being presented with it by the Chairman of Somerset County Council. Councillor David Fothergill presented the flag to the ship’s captain Commander Mike Smith on board during a weekend visit by council representatives from
HNLMS Johan de Witt, the amphibious transport ship, left Den Helder on July 14th for the Horn of Africa in order to take part in counter-piracy operations being conducted in the area. Johan de Witt will take part in the EU mission Atalanta as a staff ship for 4 months. During this time, it will [&he
The Royal Navy just spent $45 million on the ScanEagle UAV, which is part of a market set to be worth $8.35 billion by 2018, according to a recent market intelligence report. One thing is clear: the role of UAVs in maritime reconnaissance and surveillance is becoming a key area for development and i
The Golden Swordsmen of Patrol Squadron (VP) 47 flew their first mission July 16 in support of the multinational surface ships operating in the Black Sea on the first day of the underway operations phase of Sea Breeze 2013. Flying the P-3C Orion aircraft, the crew used their expertise in maritime do
Sailors and Royal Marines from HMS Kent are finding that an ice-cool bottle of water can be just as important in the fight against piracy as the frigate’s hi-tech weaponry and sensors. With temperatures now reaching 40˚C off the Horn of Africa, where the Portsmouth-based warship is on counter-piracy
Minehunter HMS Chiddingfold is nearing the end of her long road out of refit by coming through a month-long examination of the Navy’s Operational Sea Training in Scotland. The Portsmouth-based minehunter was out of action for 572 days undergoing a massive overhaul, including receiving new caterpilla
The Yantar shipyard in Russia’s Baltic exclave of Kaliningrad has launched construction of a new Project 11356 frigate for the Russian navy… [mappress] Source: Russian Navy, July 16, 2013; Image: Yantar
Whilst alongside in Djibouti port, staff from the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Flagship, NRP Álvares Cabral, and members of the Djiboutian Navy and of the Djiboutian Coast Guard came together on board the Portuguese ship to conduct Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) training to exchange maritime
Vice Adm. Frank C. Pandolfe, commander, U.S. 6th Fleet, visited the guided-missile destroyer USS Bainbridge (DDG 96), July 11, while the ship made a port call to Naples, Italy. The destroyer departed its homeport of Norfolk, Va. June 14 and will remain in the Naval Forces Europe-Africa theater for t
