On Wednesday 26 March 2014, European Union Ambassadors met with the President of Puntland, Dr. Abdiweli Mohamed Ali, and his Cabinet on board the French EU Naval Force flagship, FS Siroco, to discuss key issues related to political, security and development cooperation, and to participate in a speci
Rear-admiral Eugenio Díaz del Río, Commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG-2) currently participating in operation ‘Ocean Shield’ fighting piracy in the Indian Ocean, welcomed Rear-admiral Kevin M. Sweeney, Commander of the U.S. Navy Carrier Strike Group 10. The two flagships, the Sp
On Tuesday 18 March, three EU Naval Force warships, FS Siroco, FGS Hessen and ESPS Relampago gathered in the Gulf of Aden for a joint replenishment at sea (RAS) with the American logistics ship, USNS Pecos from Task Force 53. Ships from Task Force 53 provide regular replenishment support to the Euro
A commercial oil tanker, the Morning Glory, carrying cargo of oil owned by the Libyan government National Oil Company, returned to Libyan capital, Tripoli on Sunday, Reuters reports. Once in port, the Libyan forces arrested three rebels from Libya, who had seized the tanker earlier this month at E
Indian Puts Search Operation for MH370 on Standby The Malaysian authorities have indicated that based on investigation, the search operations for the missing Malaysian Airlines aircraft MH 370 have entered a new phase and a strategy for further searches is being formulated. Accordingly, search opera
Twenty-five U.S. Navy personnel remain aboard the oil tanker Morning Glory after a team of Navy SEALs boarded and took control of the ship on March 17, Army Col. Steve Warren, a Pentagon spokesman, said yesterday. U.S. forces took control of the tanker in international waters at the request of the g
The Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) has deployed a task group in support of international counter-piracy efforts in the Gulf of Aden for the fifth time. Led by Colonel Cheong Kwok Chien, the 151-strong SAF task group comprises the Republic of Singapore Navy Formidable-class stealth frigate, RSS Tenacio
HMAS Darwin has seized and destroyed more than three tonnes of cannabis resin with an estimated street value of $137 million dollars. The drugs were found hidden aboard a skiff in the Gulf of Aden on 16 March 2014. HMAS Darwin is currently deployed on patrol under the control of the Combined Marit
Russia Deploys 60 Ships near Ukraine Russia has deployed 60 ships on the East border of Ukraine and in Crimea, Acting Minister of Defense of Ukraine, Ihor Tenykh said on Tuesday, March 11. The Minister also stressed that there is no open aggression, since Russia does not officially recognize the tro
In early March, the warship ITS MIMBELLI, currently deployed in support of NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD, wrapped up a port visit to Antisiranana, Madagascar. The purpose of the visit was to pursue the ongoing cooperation with the Malagasy authorities in efforts to eliminate sea pir
The search for the Malaysian Airlines flight MH370, which lost radar signal in the early hours of Saturday, when it was flying over the Ho Chi Minh air traffic control area in Vietnam, is intensively underway. Nine countries are contributing to the search 24/7 across the South China Sea for the ai
Russia Sinks Ship to Block Ukrainian Navy Ships The Russian Navy Ochakov Kara-class cruiser was sunk last night to block the Ukrainian Navy ships deployed in Novoozerne, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence said in a press release today. The information was confirmed by the Ukrainian military of the So
A recent Operation Atalanta medal parade held in Djibouti marked the end of the Serbian Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachments (AVPD) tenure with the EU Naval Force. The Operation Atalanta medal parade was conducted by the Officer in Charge of the Djibouti Support Element Atalanta (SEA) Commande
On Sunday, 2 March 2014, NATO’s counter-piracy task force Commander, Rear Admiral Eugenio Diaz del Rio, paid a visit to HNLMS EVERTSEN, currently deployed with Operation OCEAN SHIELD. This was the first time the Admiral went on board the Dutch warship since she joined the operation on 7 December 201