Royal Navy frigate HMS Northumberland has intercepted two high speed drug smuggling skiffs in the Gulf of Oman, carrying an estimated £5.4m of cannabis resin. Having identified two suspicious high speed skiffs during a routine patrol, the Plymouth-based frigate embarked on a 30 mile pursuit and inte
On 15 March, the German Autonomous Vessel Protection Detachment (AVPD), deployed with the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta, transferred the responsibility for the protection of the World Food Programme (WFP) ship MV Caroline Scan to an AVPD from Finland. The German AVPD returns
The multinational maritime exercise Saharan Express 2013 (SE-13) successfully concluded with post-sail discussions and a press conference, March 14. SE-13, which began March 7, is a maritime exercise designed to improve cooperation among participating nations in order to increase counter-piracy capa
Three Crew Members of US Navy EA-6B Prowler Jet Die in Aircraft Crash (UPDATE) All three crew members aboard a Navy EA-6B Prowler jet assigned to Electronic Attack Squadron 129 (VAQ-129) at Naval Air Station Whidbey Island, Wash., were killed when the aircraft crashed Monday morning in an unpopulate
Guided-missile destroyer USS Farragut (DDG 99) transited the Suez Canal departing the U.S. 5th Fleet Area of Responsibility March 8. Farragut was on station for six months conducting maritime security operations, theater security cooperation efforts and support missions for Operation Enduring Freedo
Royal Navy warship HMS Argyll has arrived in Dakar, Senegal for the start of a huge multi-national exercise off the coast of West Africa. The Type-23 frigate will represent the UK at Exercise Saharan Express which has been designed to improve cooperation for the participating nations while they oper
More than a dozen organizations and agencies gathered at the Admiral Faye Gassama Naval Base in Dakar, Senegal, to explore maritime security issues as part of Exercise Saharan Express 2013 (SE-13), March 11. The participants, both governmental and non-governmental, represent major stakeholders in We
It has been a busy couple of days for EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) flagship ESPS Méndez Núnez. The Spanish warship, which is conducting EU counter piracy patrols off the Somali coast, was once again able to provide much needed protection, this time to super tanker MV Smyrni, after the vessel was relea
Two More Littoral Combat Ships for US Navy Austal USA’s order backlog has grown by approximately US$681.7 million as a result of two additional Littoral Combat Ship (LCS) contract options being exercised by the United States Navy. US Navy Announces Response to Sequestration Secretary of the Navy Ray
The United States Coast Guard Marine Safety Unit Savannah is hosting four members of the Liberia Maritime Authority as part of the Coast Guard-sponsored International Port Security program, intended to create a consistent security program for all U.S. ports, Wednesday through Friday. The delegates a
Between 26 February and 5 March 2013, French warship FS Courbet, operating as part of EU Naval Force counter piracy mission Operation Atalanta, together with an embarked Estonian Vessel Protection Detachment (VPD), escorted a World Food Programme (WFP) ship that was carrying much-needed food and aid
Russia Plans to Rearm BSF Russia has announced plans to rearm its Black Sea Fleet and has asked Ukraine to settle the issues regarding the planned deliveries of new weapons to the naval force, Ukraine’s defense minister said on Saturday. Italy: NATO Allies Participate in Proud Manta 2013 Exercise Pr
At the end of February the Luxembourg Maritime patrol and Reconnaissance (MPRA) Detachment returned to the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia Operation Atalanta counter piracy mission, having taken over MPRA duties from the Swedish Coast Guard MPRA unit operating from the Seychelles. During their pr
A Royal Navy survey ship has produced a series of stunning images of a Grand Canyon-style ocean floor hidden deep under the Red Sea. HMS Enterprise used her state-of-the-art surveying equipment to reveal the natural wonder during her nine-month mission to improve understanding of the waters east of
