Archive for September, 2011
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UPDATE – EU NAVFOR warship FGS KÖLN destroys suspect whaler (VIDEO)
On September 29 the EU NAVFOR warship FGS KÖLN located and destroyed a suspicious whaler close to a beach off Somalia, 100 nautical miles SW of Mogadishu. A helicopter was dispatched to inspect and found the whaler loaded with equipment usually related to piracy on board. No crew was seen on board....
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German MPA finished first operational flight
Djibouti. A German Navy Maritime Patrol and Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) has been in Djibouti since Sunday participating in the EUNAVFOR mission ATALANTA. As the “flying eye” it significantly contributes to fighting piracy and securing the shipping lanes off the Horn of Africa. Equipped with modern electro-optical sensors the MPRA delivers an indispensable...
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Board and search operation carried out by EU NAVFOR warship
EUNAVFOR warship FGS KÖLN has today, 28 September, stopped and boarded a suspicious group of two small boats, a whaler and skiff. The suspicious boats were located by FGS KÖLN 70 nautical miles South West off Mogadishu, Somalia, 30 miles off the coast. A helicopter was sent to inspect the group of...
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EU NAVFOR will host 7th TRADE meeting on 4 October
The 7th meeting of the Training Awareness and De-confliction (TRADE) group will be held on 4 October and hosted at the Operational Headquarters of EU NAVFOR Operation ATALANTA. TRADE is a voluntary coordination meeting attended by governments and organisations involved in assisting nations affected by piracy in order to develop the maritime...
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M/V EAGLE released from pirate control
Following payment of a ransom, the M/V EAGLE, which was pirated on 17 January 2011 in position 490 nautical miles South of Salalah, Oman has recently been released from pirate control off the coast of Somalia. The ship is now on her way to a safe port. The Cypriot flagged and Greek...
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UK Under-Secretary of State for Transport visits EUNAVFOR HQ for counter-piracy briefing
Mike Penning MP, the UK Under-Secretary of State for Transport visited the EU NAVFOR Operation HQ in Northwood on 15 Sep 11 to be briefed on counter-piracy operations off Somalia. He also met the staff from the 26 Nations which support the EU mission which is tasked with protecting World Food Programme...
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German Maritime Patrol Aircraft arrives in area of operations
Djibouti – On 25 September, EU NAVFOR welcomed a German Maritime Patrol Reconnaissance Aircraft (MPRA) which will operate off the Horn of Africa. Based in Djibouti, the Lockheed Martin P-3C ‘ORION’, will add to the mission’s capabilities until December. In a letter to the detachment, the Force Commander, Rear Admiral Thomas Jugel,...
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Exceptional airfreight of equipment for German P-3C deployment
Next week, a P-3C maritime patrol aircraft from the Naval Air Wing 3 “Graf Zeppelin”, based in Nordholz, Germany, will reinforce the EU-led Operation ATALANTA, countering piracy in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa. Therefore and in advance, the required material for maintaining the aircraft needs to be...
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EU NAVFOR Flagship protects food aid to Somalia
The German frigate FGS BAYERN, part of the Operation ATALANTA counter-piracy mission off the Horn of Africa, has recently escorted the merchant vessel “SEA MASTER I” safely into the port of Bossasso on the northern coast of Somalia. The ship was loaded with humanitarian-aid as part of the World Food Programme aid...
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Motor vessel HOANG SON SUN released from pirate control
MV Hoang-Son-Sun On September 16 the motor vessel HOANG SON SUN was released from pirate control after more than 240 days in captivity and is now underway to a safe port. The ship is a Mongolian flagged, Vietnamese owned bulk carrier and has a Vietnamese crew of 24. The ship was pirated...