Vessels
Vard bags contract for Norwegian Coast Guard vessel maintenance
Norway-based vessel designer and builder Vard will be working on the maintenance of five Norwegian Coast Guard vessels, the company announced on Monday. The company said the total value of the contract signed with the Norwegian Defence Logistics Organisation was approximately NOK 48 million (approx.
Austal opens shipbuilding facility for new patrol boats
Australian shipbuilder Austal opened a new shipbuilding facility that will be used for the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement (PPB-R) programme. Australian Defence Industry Minister Christopher Pyne MP officially opened the facility at Naval Base, West Australia in a ribbon cutting ceremony on March 8.
Warships start underway portion of Romanian-hosted exercise Poseidon
Warships from NATO’s standing mine countermeasure group 2 (SNMCMG2) joined the underway portion of the Romanian-hosted exercise Poseidon that is taking place between March 5 and 13. The exercise as a whole is hosted by Romania this year and will include more than 1,500 sailors and 17 warships from s
Royal Navy tanker retires after 40 years of service
Royal Fleet Auxiliary tanker Gold Rover was officially decommissioned in a March 6 ceremony at HM Naval Base Portsmouth, after over 40 years of service. Commander Naval Operations Rear Admiral Bob Tarrant and the Head of the RFA Cdre Duncan Lamb joined former COs of the tanker for a service of thank
U.S. Navy Bonhomme Richard strike group starts Asia patrol
U.S. Navy’s Bonhomme Richard Expeditionary Strike Group departed White Beach, Okinawa, Japan, to begin a routine regional patrol on March 8, 2017. USS Bonhomme Richard (LHD 6), the USS Green Bay (LPD 20), and the USS Ashland (LSD 48), together with embarked marines and sailors of the 31st Marine Exp
Continuing Promise concludes Honduras visit
The U.S. civil-military operation Continuing Promise 2017 wrapped up a 10-day mission stop in Trujillo, Honduras. As part of the visit, a team of 169 Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marine Corps service members worked with local military counterparts, medical professionals, and volunteers to provide medi
Lithuania deploys vessel boarding team to EU operation Sophia
The Lithuanian Ministry of Defense has deployed a 12-man strong vessel boarding team to the European Union-led operation Sophia aimed at curbing human and arms smuggling activity in the Mediterranean Sea. The team embarked the German Navy tender FGS Rhein on March 6 during a ceremony at Lithuanian N
Iranian boats harass US Navy’s ICBM-tracking ship
U.S. Navy surveillance ship USNS Invincible (T-AGM-24) was forced to change direction in order to avoid a collision with an Iranian Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps boat on March 4. The surveillance ship was harassed by several Iranian boats as it was transiting the Strait of Hormuz together with t
US Navy, Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force start MultiSail 2017
The U.S. Navy and Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF) kicked off the annual bilateral training exercise MultiSail 2017 on March 6, with ships getting underway from the Apra Harbor in Guam. Six U.S. Navy ships, two JMSDF ships and a number of subsurface and other special units will spend the ne
Royal Canadian Navy ships head for Indo-Asia-Pacific deployment
Two Royal Canadian Navy ships departed Canadian Forces Base Esquimalt on March 6 to start the Poseidon Cutlass deployment in the Indo-Asia-Pacific region. During their near six-month deployment, Her Majesty’s Canadian (HMC) Ships Winnipeg and Ottawa will take part in exercises with regional partner
HMS Monmouth starts nine-month deployment
Royal Navy frigate HMS Monmouth departed Plymouth on Monday to start a nine-month deployment in the Persian Gulf. The frigate set sail after spending 18 months undergoing assessment and training, preparing to fight smugglers, terrorists, drug and people traffickers. Preparations for the extended sti
Sri Lanka is first mission stop of Pacific Partnership 2017
Humanitarian assistance and disaster relief preparedness mission Pacific Partnership 2017 made its initial mission stop in Hambantota, Sri Lanka on March 7 with the arrival of the United States Navy’s expeditionary fast transport ship USNS Fall River (T-EPF-4). This is also the first mission to Sri
USS Philippine Sea visits Greece after drills with Egyptian Navy
U.S. Navy guided-missile cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG 58) stopped in Souda Bay, Greece, for the first port visit during its 2017 deployment with the George H.W. Bush Carrier Strike Group (GHWBCSG). USS Philippine Sea was in Greece from March 1 to March 5 conducting a community relations project, w
HMS Iron Duke returns to training after maintenance
Royal Navy frigate HMS Iron Duke set sail for the first time this year having spent the winter in her home port undergoing a sustained period of maintenance. The Type 23 frigate, which spent the first half of 2016 on NATO duties in the Baltic and waters of northern Europe, is now headed for operatio