Deployed since 15 March to take part in the fight against piracy, a Falcon 50M from the French Navy has left the operation and been relieved by a maritime patrol aircraft Atlantique 2. It will operate from Djibouti as is also the case since 26 March for the detection and air control aircraft Awacs E
“Not only must we tackle the pirates at sea, when they are ready to strike, but also on land, where their criminal networks are based. In that way, we – and not the pirates – will gain the initiative”, argued Minister of Defence Hans Hillen in Brussels during a meeting with his European Union counte
EU Counter Piracy Naval Forces (EUNAVFOR) have tracked down and stopped a group of suspected pirates who were believed to have tried to attack a Hong-Kong flagged tanker approximately 400 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia. EU Naval Force warship FS Aconit was called to investigate after the ta
The Portsmouth-based frigate joined the USS Abraham Lincoln for anti-submarine exercises, before serving as the ‘plane guard’ for the carrier as she launched and recovered her aircraft. Her Majesty’s Ship Westminster sails in company with the USS Abraham Lincoln as the Portsmouth-based warship joine
On the 26 March 2012, the EU Naval Force Flagship ESPS Patino located a Yemeni registered dhow that was suspected of being involved in acts of piracy off the Somali coast. The previous day a merchant vessel had reported that it had evaded an attack by two skiffs. As she was close by, ESPS Patino [&h
French Navy command and replenishment ship FS MARNE left Toulon on 25 March and is heading towards the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, with the future EU NAVFOR Force Commander, Rear-Admiral Dupuis and his staff on board. The FS MARNE carries a complement of 215 personnel on board, among whom are
Despite the legal grey area that surrounds floating armouries, they may be permitted if private maritime security companies prove they can fulfil licensing requirements. One PMSC told Lloyd’s List that almost all companies operating in the Gulf of Aden use “flotels” to store weapons, equipment and m
On Monday 26th March one of Portugal’s largest warships, the Vasco de Gama Class frigate NRP CORTE REAL added its name to the list of EU ships (EUNAVFOR) operating in the Horn of Africa. It will set out immediately on its mission to counter piracy and protect World Food Program (WFP) shipments to So
As of 23 March 2012 the Counter-Piracy force of the European Union (EUNAVFOR) which normally includes between 4 and 7 warships patrolling the Gulf of Aden and Horn of Africa will be joined by two new warships of the French navy; Frigate FS GEORGES LEYGUES and Amphibious Assault Ship FS DIXMUDE. FS G
On Friday 23 March 2012 the Council of the European Union confirmed its intention to extend the EU Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) counter-piracy mission, Operation ATALANTA off the Somali coast until December 2014. At the same time the Council also extended the area of operations to include Somali coastal
The crews of two Cougar transport helicopters took part in Exercise Cold Response to prepare for their participation in NATO operation Ocean Shield. The helicopters supported the amphibious exercise in Norway with HNLMS Rotterdam as their base. This is the same ship that will be deployed, with Couga
The Marine Link reports that US Navy and US Coast Guard rescued a dhow in the Arabian Gulf. USS Firebolt (PC 10) and USCGC Maui (WPB 1304) conducted a search and rescue mission for survivors of a capsized Iranian cargo dhow during which the USS Firebolt spotted and rescued a survivor from the cargo
EU NAFVOR warship FGS BERLIN has successfully engineered the release of an Indian flagged dhow and crew, disrupting a Pirate Action Group and destroying two attack skiffs. On 28 February 2012, EUNAVFOR Warship FGS BERLIN received a distress call from a merchant vessel reporting that they had success
African sailors who spent 27 days aboard guided-missile frigate USS Simpson (FFG 56) as part of Africa Partnership Station (APS) 2012, departed Simpson, Feb. 27. The 10 APS shipriders came from the navies of Benin, Cameroon, Gabon, Nigeria, the Republic of Congo and Togo. The shipriders got aboard S
