NAVY NEWS WEEK 40-5

4 October 2018

Nigeria Piracy Attack: MV Glarus update Massoel Shipping, Managers of Bulk carrier MV Glarus, attacked by pirates off Bonny, Nigeria on September 22, confirm that contact has now been made with those holding 12 crew members hostage. It is understood that all his crew are together and all are well and unharmed. The MV Glarus is now safely alongside at Port Harcourt with the remaining seven crew members on board Families are being kept in close touch with developments, the first and absolute priority being the safe release of the hostages. Massoel will not be making any further comments on operational issues as this could prejudice the safety of those being held. Source: Massoel Shipping

Nigeria: High seas becoming safe, says ministry official The Federal Government through the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety (NIMASA) is doing everything to ensure safety on the high seas, a top government official has said. According to him: “The seas are sullen and the Federal Government through NIMASA is making them to become more secure for the people who sail them. “Although the African ocean is genuinely quiet at the moment, the overall political direction of the current administration is directed to settle it,” he said. Piracy, cargo theft and crew kidnap in the Gulf of Guinea are reducing in the east of Malacca, he said. The number of people affected ran into millions and are adding significantly to the numbers of migrants entering Europe by boat from Libya – itself in the throes of a chaotic and violent aftermath of the end of the Gadhafi regime. He said: “More people have been trafficked this year alone through Libya into mainly Italy and Malta. “With the cost of a passage estimated at up to $1000 per person this implies a flow of funds into to criminal networks. Experience in the Horn of Africa and elsewhere has indicated a close connection between people trafficking, piracy and the trafficking of guns and drugs and that is why the Federal Government through NIMASA is working assiduously to make the high sea safe.’ The senior official however, explained that the super-connectedness of today’s world sometimes places limits on the extent to which the international community can always act robustly to preserve law and order on the high seas because the policy priority will always be stability and the winning of hearts and minds on land. Sending in the gunboats can sometimes antagonise fractured local communities and throw the internationally recognised political strategy off course. He added: “The use of armed guards on ocean going vessels in exceptional circumstances is likely to ebb and flow but will not disappear. “Nigerian Port Authorities (‘NPA), the Nigerian Navy and NIMASA have a critical role to play in helping responsible ship owners protect their crews and in support of wider initiatives to curtail movement of dangerous goods, illegal gun trafficking – in particular by ensuring that they have transparent, predictable and commercially practical procedures in place to facilitate the embarkation and disembarkation of lawful goods and firearms handled by properly certified private security teams. “These procedures, the official said, need to be dovetailed with the existing obligations and procedures as required by the International Ship and Port Facility Security Code (ISPS).’’ Representatives of leading private maritime security firms at the event said the government the government, through its agencies is working round the clock to guarantee safety on the high seas. Source: The Nation The previous meesage on MV Glarus belies the above article.

Photos Show Confrontation Between USS Decatur and a Chinese Navy Warship in South China Sea October 2, 2018 by gCaptain

U.S. Navy photo showing a confrontation between the USS Decatur (left) and PRC Warship 170 (right) in the South China Sea on Sunday, September 30, 2018. U.S. Navy Photo

gCaptain has just obtained photos showing a confrontation involving the U.S. Navy destroyer USS Decatur and a Chinese Navy warship in the disputed South China Sea over the weekend. The U.S. Navy confirmed the incident on Tuesday, accusing China’s navy of conducting an “unsafe and unprofessional maneuver” that nearly led to a collision as the U.S. destroyer was underway “in the vicinity” of Gaven Reef in the Spratly Islands on Sunday, September 30. According to a Navy spokesman, during the incident, the Chinese warship “approached within 45 yards of Decatur’s bow, after which Decatur maneuvered to prevent a collision.” As was reported over the weekend, the USS Decatur on Sunday conducted the U.S. Navy’s latest freedom of navigation operation in the South China Sea, coming within 12 nautical miles of the Gaven and Johnson Reefs claimed by China. China issued a statement Tuesday accusing the U.S. of violating its “indisputable sovereignty” over the South China Sea islands. “We strongly urge the U.S. side to immediately correct its mistake and stop such provocative actions to avoid undermining China- U.S. relations and regional peace and stability,” a Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said Tuesday in a statement. Below is a sequence of photos showing the USS Decatur, pictured left, and the Chinese warship, PRC 170, on the right:

U.S. Navy Photo Around this point (below), the two warships were within 45 yards of each other: U.S. Navy Photo

The photos below show the USS Decatur maneuvering to avoid the collision:

U.S. Navy Photo U.S. Navy Photo

Source: https://gcaptain.com

PLA navy vessel lifted off rocks and shipped back to mainland China after running aground in Hong Kong during Typhoon Mangkhut A People’s Liberation Army military vessel driven ashore in Hong Kong eight days ago by Typhoon Mangkhut, the most intense storm on record in the city, was shipped back to mainland China for repairs on Monday. Sailors from the PLA Hong Kong Garrison had been guarding the Nan Jiao 86, a 42-metre (138-foot) PLA navy personnel transport ship, since it got stuck on the rocky shore of Kau Yi Chau – an uninhabited islet 3km west of Hong Kong Island – on September 16 It was understood a tug boat and a barge used for the salvage operation arrived in the city from the mainland over the weekend. A government source said a powerful crane on the tug boat had been used to lift the stranded vessel off the rocks. It was then lifted onto the barge. He said the vessels stayed in the waters off the island overnight before leaving for Guangdong province on Monday. At about 6am on Monday, the Nan Jiao 86 was placed on the deck of the barge, and then the vessels left for the city’s immigration clearance centre to the west of Tuen Mun. “After immigration clearance work, the vessels left Hong Kong waters, heading towards Zhuhai for repairs,” the source said. The Nan Jiao 86, carrying at least eight PLA officers, ran aground about two hours after the city’s highest typhoon signal, No 10, was issued. The ship’s anchor chain broke. The big waves and the strong current washed the boat ashore. No one was injured. The PLA sought help from the Hong Kong Marine Department’s vessel traffic centre soon after noon. The centre then alerted police. Because of the adverse weather, no police were sent The Post observed some soldiers had been stationed on the rocky beach on the eastern part of the islet last week. Visible damage was seen on the starboard, or right, side of the vessel. Part of a cabin wall had been ripped open. The officers did not respond to questions about a salvage operation, only asking the Post to “keep a safe distance”, although they did not prohibit photo-taking. The Nan Jiao 86 used to berth at a base on Stonecutters Island, but it was anchored off Kau Yi Chau before the monster storm arrived. The typhoon was the most powerful to hit Hong Kong since records began in 1946 and at its height packed sustained winds of up to 250km/h, according to the Observatory. At its closest, Mangkhut was within 100km of the city, on Sunday afternoon. A Security Bureau spokesman on Wednesday night said it had received notice from the garrison about the “landing” of a military vessel at Kau Yi Chau to “take shelter” on Sunday when Mangkhut was lashing the city. The bureau said it had learned the garrison was arranging for its removal. Kau Yi Chau is an uninhabited, isolated islet west of Victoria Harbour, between Peng Chau and Green Island. Source : South China Morning post

The Dutch Frigate F 828 Van Speijk navigating the Marsdiep off Den Helder Photo : Henk Spanjer ©

US Navy’s Nimitz-class carrier CVN 73 receives modernised radar tower A modernised radar tower has been installed on the US Navy’s Nimitz-class nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George Washington (CVN 73). The installation marks the completion of approximately 25% of its refuelling and complex overhaul (RCOH) work. The milestone has been attained by ship manufacturer Huntington Ingalls Industries’ (HII) Newport News Shipbuilding division. CVN 73 is the sixth Nimitz-class vessel to undergo the major lifecycle upgrade and the first to have its new radar tower installed as one complete structure instead of two separate units HII Newport News Shipbuilding in-service aircraft carrier programmes vice-president Chris Miner said: “This is a significant engineering, planning and construction improvement. See the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UGgfVWiuTSY “This lift was the result of our digital shipbuilding efforts to harness the use of technology, including visual work instructions that allowed us to increase efficiency and productivity. We look forward to continuing to work with our navy customers to improve our RCOH processes. Work on the RCOH project commenced under a planning contract awarded to the company in August last year. The project includes refuelling of the vessel’s reactors, in addition to carrying out extensive upgrades of more than 2,300 compartments, 600 tanks, and hundreds of systems on the ship. In addition to the radar tower structure, major enhancements will be made to the island house, flight deck, catapults, combat systems, and the island The overhaul of USS George Washington is expected to be completed in late-2021. With a displacement of 91,300t, CVN 73 can travel at speeds of more than 35k. The vessel was launched with the US Navy on 21 July 1990 and commissioned on 4 July 1992. Source: naval-technology

HMAS Ballarat on her way home after search and rescue mission

Medical Officer Lt Rebecca Ainsworth, RAN (right), MH-60R Aviation Warfare Officer Lt Christopher Evill, RAN (left), and AB Renne Simmons, rehearse assembling a casualty stretcher in HMAS Ballarat underway to Amsterdam Island. Photo: AB Christopher Szumlanski

The Commanding Officer of HMAS Ballarat has praised the proficiency of his ship’s company after the frigate was ordered to crash sail to reach two participants in a global sailing event whose yachts had been de-masted in the Indian Ocean south of Perth. Ballarat is now on her way back to Fleet Base West having recovered one of the two race participants, the Irish national Mr Gregor McGuckin from the remote Amsterdam Island in the Southern Indian Ocean. The other participant, Indian Navy Commander Abhilash Tomy, will embark in an Indian Navy frigate in the next 24-48 hours. Commander Paul Johnson, whose ship deploys to Operation MANITOU in less than a month, said he initially received notification from Maritime Operations at 0700 on Saturday, September 22 advising him of the situation – three hours later the order was given for Ballarat to prepare to sail. “On receiving that order I initiated a general recall to have the ship’s company return by 1600 with a view to sailing at 1800,” he said. “The response from the crew was absolutely outstanding, especially given that Saturday was the first day of our three-week pre-deployment leave period after receiving our Battle Worthiness Certification on Friday. “Regardless of personal plans, the ship’s company responded to the call and quickly prepared the ship for sailing – a total of 135 personnel returned from leave, including a number of key personnel who returned from the east coast after cancelling holiday plans.” Ballarat’s Medical Officer, Lt Rebecca Ainsworth, and her medical team ran through a number of possible scenarios they could face should they be required to treat the stricken sailor. “In preparation for this mission, my team and I reviewed likely scenarios and the expectation of managing someone suffering from hypothermia, malnutrition as well as possible spinal injuries,” Lt Ainsworth said. “These conditions would have been particularly challenging to manage at sea due to issues with mobility and ongoing monitoring requirements in a primary care setting. “Specifically, with a back injury and possible spinal cord damage, issues such as pain relief would be extremely important as pain is likely to be exacerbated by the sea state and ship motion. “There is also the factor of management of fatigue within the medical department as a very unwell patient requires 24-hour care and review.” Cdr Johnson said given such a short preparation time for sailing, his crew was required to come up with some innovative solutions to problems such as having the stores on-board necessary for such a mission. “The creativity of the Maritime Logistics department in rapidly sourcing victuals from HMAS Stirling and a number of local supermarkets was very impressive,” he said. “As was the case of a young Able Seaman who had just boarded a flight when he received the recall notice and then disembarked in order to get back to his ship.” Cdr Tomy and Irish national Mr McGuckin had been competing in the Golden Globe Race when his yacht rolled in rough seas and lost its mast. Cdr Abhilash, suffered a severe back injury and was unable to leave his bunk, making it very difficult to communicate his serious situation. Mr McGuckin, whose vessel was also de-masted, is uninjured. The search was coordinated by the Australian Maritime Safety Authority in conjunction with Indian and French authorities. The ADF contributed a Royal Australian Air Force P-8A Poseidon aircraft in addition to Ballarat and their embarked MH60 Romeo Seahawk Helicopter. Source: Navy Daily

Golden Sail and Golden tail. I took the polariser lens off my camera to catch the sun hitting the Sail and rudder on this unidentified Los Angeles class USN submarine as she passed inbound on the Clyde recently. Photo : Tommy Bryceland. SCOTLAND ©

India’s harbours may be vulnerable for 20 years, and Navy can’t do much Even as India worries about ‘barbarians’ at our northern and western gates, we need to focus sharply on the ‘enemy within’. This enemy is a pernicious system, which has brought the process of equipping our military almost to a grinding halt. The mainstay of this ‘system’ is the politician who is indifferent to national security but focused on political survival. This politician uses foreign arms purchases as the ‘golden-goose’ for election-funding, as well as for settling political scores. The pernicious system’s other prop is the ministry of defence (MoD) bureaucracy, which is unconcerned and unlettered about matters of security and defence, but vested with unfettered decision-making powers. In this context, the tale of Indian Navy’s ‘missing minesweepers’ may be an apt metaphor. Energy and trade are the lifeblood of India’s economy, and an overwhelming proportion of both travels by sea. India consumes 4.5 million barrels of oil a day, requiring three-four giant oil tankers, termed ‘very large crude carriers’, to discharge at an Indian port every single day of the year. Each day, the country’s top 12 ports handle 2.5 million tonnes of cargo, including coal, fertilizer, petrol, food and containers of general merchandise. This trade is carried by 150-200 ships that enter and leave Indian harbours every day. Even a brief interruption in the smooth entry and departure of the shipping traffic in any one of these ports would have serious repercussions on India’s economy, industry, security and the common man’s daily life. Such a possibility is rarely contemplated in land-locked New Delhi where ‘sea-mines’ is a term, perhaps, unheard of. A sea-mine is a large, self- contained explosive device, placed in a focal shipping area, to inflict damage or destroy ships that pass in its vicinity. Today’s ‘smart’ mines may lie dormant for months, till activated by a timer, and thus constitute an unseen and insidious menace to shipping. While navies use ships, submarines or aircraft to lay mines, the same task could be performed clandestinely by merchant ships, fishing boats or even dhows in an unguarded port. A mine explosion (or even the rumour of mining) in a harbour could paralyse shipping traffic and send marine-insurance rates skyrocketing till the harbour is ‘swept’ of mines and declared safe for shipping. The Persian Gulf has, in recent times, seen two modern US Navy warships – a frigate in 1988 and a cruiser in 1991 – suffering serious damage from primitive mines deployed by Iran and Iraq. Mine- sweeping and mine-hunting (collectively termed ‘mine counter-measures’ or MCM) thus remain of critical importance for the navies. Older wooden-hulled MCM ships have been replaced by ships that seek and destroy mines via remotely controlled vehicles. A prudent Indian Navy (IN), cognisant of the vulnerability of Indian shipping and harbours, has, from its earliest days, maintained an adequate MCM capability on both coasts. The first minesweepers, acquired from the UK in the 1950s, were supplemented by some home-built craft and Soviet vessels, which lasted us till the 1970s. Aware that the Pakistan Navy had a sizeable stock of Chinese mines (one of PNS Ghazi’s tasks in 1971 was to mine the Vishakhapatnam harbour), the IN, during the 1980s, acquired two squadrons of six modern Soviet MCM vessels (MCMV) each to safeguard the western and eastern seaboards against mine-laying. With these ships rapidly approaching obsolescence, the Indian Navy initiated in 2005 a case for indigenous construction of 12 MCMVs equipped with modern mine-detection and destruction devices, with the option for 12 more to follow. The proposal envisaged the project to be undertaken by the small but highly efficient and proven Goa Shipyard Ltd (GSL). A request for proposals (RFP) was initiated, and bids were expected from Russian, Italian and South Korean shipbuilders. All that remained was for the Indian Navy to exercise an option between a non-ferrous metal or composite-material hull, and the requisite technology would be transferred to GSL for serial production of MCMVs. Imagine one’s dismay on seeing a June 2018 news headline announcing: “RFI for Rs 32,640 crore minesweepers may be issued in four weeks”. A post-mortem of what transpired between 2005 and 2018 would be tedious, but if the news report is indeed true, it may be a decade before the first new MCMV enters the IN service. Since the Indian Navy’s sole remaining MCMV is due for de-commissioning soon, India’s shipping lanes as well as its 200-plus major and minor harbours will be vulnerable to mining for nearly two decades. So, what’s new? Nothing. Similar examples abound of jet trainers, artillery guns, submarines, fighters, carbines and bullet-proof jackets taking 15-20 years for the MoD to acquire vitally required military hardware. Does anyone care? Journalist Vir Sanghvi recently tweeted the answer: “No voter cares about defence deals; this is an issue only for the Delhi media.” What’s the bottom line then? Looking back, it is incredible, but true, that of India’s 29 post-Independence defence ministers, none has shown the will, vision or intellect to reform the system and to sow the seeds of military self-reliance. The MoD has become a labyrinth of Kafkaesque complexity, where the bureaucracy – ignorant about arcane areas of capability acquisition and weapon procurement – uses the Defence Procurement Procedure as a talisman to stall and impede military modernisation. One can only hope that sooner than later the voter will start ‘caring’, and national security will become an electoral issue. Till then, we will continue to live in a parlous security environment, being pushed around by all our neighbours – small and big. Source: DefenceNews This lament is true for polticians everywhere. The worst is that they expect the military to find on their behalf, but they do not want to give the tools to do it.

Submarines: China Gets AIP to Work September 26, 2018: In mid-2018 the Chinese Navy proclaimed that it’s new AIP (air independent propulsion system) equipped submarine had performed very well. Actually, as described the Chinese AIP performed about as well as early Western AIP systems. For the Chinese that was good enough because they have had problems getting their AIP (apparently based on the Swedish Stirling AIP system) to perform adequately and reliably. China has been working on getting a working AIP system in one of their Yuan class Type 39B subs for over fifteen years but until now no Chinese AIP equipped boats were seen in action. That changed earlier this year when a new Yuan class sub went to sea and operated like an AIP boat (staying underwater for more than seven days at a time). According to the Chinese press releases their AIP sub stayed under for over two weeks at a time, which is typical of what a Stirling AIP system can do. China may now have three of these AIP equipped boats. That is because in late 2016 China apparently resumed building more of its Yuan class subs. These are based on the late model Russian Kilo class diesel-electric boats. Construction of the Yuans appeared have halted in in 2013 for reasons unknown. Then at the end of 2016 three more of these Yuan class (Type 39B) subs were seen being built. The last new Type 39B appeared in late 2013 but even before that there were indications that this was another pause to absorb user experience with the current model and plan modifications for the next batch. This new batch is apparently the three new ones that recently went to sea. When these enter service China will have ten Type 39Bs, plus three of the earlier Type 39A versions. In late 2016 it was believed the three latest 39Bs would have many modifications and upgrades, some of them visible because of minor changes in the conning tower or hull features. China was apparently upgrading its sensor and fire control electronics but the capabilities of these won’t be detected until foreign subs encounter the new 39Bs at sea. At that point U.S. subs will be able to construct an acoustic and electronic “signature” of the new 39Bs so they can be more easily and quickly identified in the future. That process also confirmed that the latest 39Bs had working AIP. How reliable the AIP is will come only after thousands of hours of use. One thing was certain about the latest Type 39Bs; the Chinese are continuing their relentless effort to create world class subs, one tweak and improvement at a time. Since the late 1980s China has been designing and building a rapidly evolving collection of "Song" (Type 39) class diesel-electric submarines that emphasize quietness and incremental improvements. The changes have been so great that the four Songs completed in 2013 were recognized as a new type and designated the Yuan class (Type 39A). The original design (Type 39) was a 1,800 ton Kilo type sub that first appeared in the late 1990s and 13 have been built. The larger (2,800 ton) Type 39A first appeared in 2006. The Type 39A quickly involved into the larger and more lavishly equipped Type 39B showed up. The evolution continues, and there are now thirteen "Type 39 Yuan Class" subs (of at least four distinct models). These latest models were thought to have AIP along with new electronics and other internal improvements. Now the presence of AIP has been confirmed. This rapid evolution of the Type 39 appears to be another example of China adapting Russian submarine technology to Chinese design ideas and new technology. China has been doing this for as long as it has been building subs (since the 1960s). But the recent versions of the Type 39B design shows Chinese naval engineers getting more creative. The Yuans were meant to have an AIP that would allow them to cruise underwater longer. Western AIP systems allow subs to stay under water for two weeks or more. China has been working on AIP since 1975 and the first working prototype was available by 1998. A decade later it seemed that design was ready for regular use but it wasn’t. The first Chinese AIP had less power and reliability and does not appear to be nearly as capable as Russian or Western models. In part this was because that AIP used lead-acid batteries. The Chinese kept improving on their AIP, and the last half dozen AIP systems were designed to use a more efficient lithium battery system. This AIP 2.0 has numerous other tweaks and appears, on paper at least, to match what most Western AIPs can do and that’s the version that was installed in one (or all three) of the latest Type 39B subs. The Songs look a lot like the Russian Kilo class and that was apparently no accident. The 39s and 39A/Bs are both similar in appearance but the type 39A.Bs appear larger than the 1,800 ton Type 39s. Both have with crews of 60-70 sailors and six torpedo tubes. This is very similar to the Kilos (which are a bit larger). China began ordering Russian Kilo class subs, then one of the latest diesel-electric designs available, in the late 1990s. The first two Type 39Bs appeared to be a copy of the early model Kilo (the model 877), while the second pair of Type 39Bs appeared to copy the late Kilos (model 636). The latest Yuans still appear like Kilos but may be part of an evolution into a sub that is similar to the Russian successor to the Kilo, the Lada. The Type 39s were the first Chinese subs to have the teardrop shaped hull. The Type 39B was thought to be just an improved Song but on closer examination, especially by the Russians, it looked like a clone of the Kilos. The Russians now believe that the entire Song/Yuan project is part of a long-range plan to successfully copy the Kilo. If so, it appears to be succeeding. The Chinese Navy currently has 13 Song class, 12 Kilo class, 13 Type 39A/B (Yuan) class, and 18 Ming (improved Russian Romeo) class boats. But at least a dozen more Yuans are apparently planned. The Song/Yuan class subs are meant to replace the elderly Mings. The Chinese nuclear sub program has been less successful. There are only 3 Type 91 Han class SSNs (nuclear attack subs), as the Chinese are still having a lot of problems with nuclear power plant in subs. Despite that, the Hans are going to sea, even though they are noisy and easily detected by Western sensors. Five Hans were built (between 1974 and 1991) two have already been retired. There are six newer Type 93 Shang class SSNs in service, but these are still pretty noisy. There is one Type 95 Sui class SSN undergoing sea trials with another building, The first Type 95 is expected to enter service in 2020 and if it is as quiet as hoped, a lot more will be built. There are also ten SSBN (ballistic missile carrying nuclear subs) in two classes and these have had a lot of problems and rarely go to sea. China is also offering their “improved Kilo” designs to export customers. In late 2016 China confirmed that final details have been agreed to on the sale of eight Chinese S20 diesel-electric submarines to Pakistan. These are export versions of the Type 39A that lack many of the advanced features. Four of these will be built in China while at the same time Chinese personnel will assist Pakistan in building another four in Pakistan. Final cost is expected to average somewhere between $500 million and $600 million each and the first one will enter service by 2023. Since early 2014 China and Pakistan have been negotiating prices and terms for the sale of the S20. At first it was believed that Pakistan wanted six subs, but the final deal specified eight. Currently the Pakistani Navy has five submarines and plans to use all of them against India (which is also considered a Chinese foe). In 2017 China sold three of those export model Yuan class subs to Thailand. Construction on the first one began in early September. These boats will cost over $400 million each. Source: The Strategy Page

The French Type F 70 destroyer D 646 Latouche-Treville comes in to Devonport Sept 26 for a period of intense sea training. Photo : Raymond Wergan, Newton ©

Ukrainian Navy ships arrive in Mariupol after passing through Kerch Strait The Ukrainian Navy's search and rescue ship Donbas and the tugboat Korets have arrived at the port of Mariupol, Donetsk region, along with them two small armored artillery boats, the P177 Kremenchuk and the P178 Lubny. “On September 25, at 09.35, the arrival of the tugboat Korets completed the transfer of a group of ships of the Ukrainian Navy to the port of Mariupol," the Ukrainian Navy's press service said on Facebook. "Near the Mariupol raid in the anchorage area a Russian border service cutter of the Mangust type staged a provocation steering dangerously close to a Ukrainian boat. The Russian cutter tried to get close to our ships at great speed, but determined actions of the crews of the Lubny and Kremenchuk vessels prevented it from getting too close to the Donbas and the Korets," the post said. "No payment for pilotage services passing through the Kerch Strait was paid," the Navy press service said. As earlier reported, the Donbas rescue and research military vessel and the Korets tugboat did not ask Russia for permission to pass through the Kerch-Yenikale canal heading to the Azov Sea. "Our vessels have not asked for any permission from Russia and exercised their sovereign right for passage," Navy press officer Oleh Chalyk told the Kyiv-based Interfax-Ukraine agency on Monday On September 23, Ukraine's President Petro Poroshenko congratulated the sailors from the Donbas and Korets military vessels. "These vessels will become a part of the new Ukraine's naval base in the Azov Sea region," Poroshenko said on Facebook page So-called authorities in Russia-occupied Crimea said the Donbas and Korets vessels did receive permission from Russia to pass through the Kerch-Yenikale canal and allegedly requested pilot support. Source : Interfax

Indian Navy's ship arrives in HCMC Indian Navy's guided missile destroyer INS Rana carrying 360 sailors and officers docked at Sai Gon Port in HCM City on September 27, starting a four-day visit to the city. At the welcoming ceremony (Photo below: hcmcpv) The delegation led by colonel Atul Deswal offers flowers to President Ho Chi Minh on Nguyen Hue pedestrian street, pays courtesy visits to the leaders of HCM City People’s Committee and Military Zone 7 and take part in exchanges with soldiers of the Vietnam People's Navy The vessel has a displacement of more than 5,000 long tons, a width of 15.8 meters and the length of 146.5 meters. It is equipped with naval weapons and a helicopter landing deck.

Source: sggpnews Chinese, Japanese coast guard ships ‘escort’ new PH Navy ship By Priam Nepomuceno T The BRP Tarlac (LD-601), one of the Philippine Navy’s two newest and largest sealift vessel, was met and escorted by Chinese and Japanese coast guard vessels last Sept. 24 as it sails near a disputed group of islands in the Pacific Ocean on its way to Vladivostok, Russia. This was disclosed by Naval Task Force 87 public affairs officer, Lt. Eduard Pablico, in a statement sent to reporters Tuesday He added that the crew sighted five ships approaching BRP Tarlac while underway off to a group of disputed islands known as Senkaku Islands in Japan and Diaoyu Islands in China "The vessels were later identified as two Chinese and three Japanese Coast Guard ships. The coast guard vessels positioned both at the left and right side of BRP Tarlac following a parallel course," Pablico added The Japanese and Chinese vessels altered course and separated upon reaching the north east vicinity of the area. The event manifested the relevance of maintaining communications at sea and the Philippines' good relations with the two countries. Earlier, a Chinese vessel in the vicinity contacted the PN ship informing the BRP Tarlac that it is transiting on their exclusive economic zone and wished the Filipino craft a safe voyage. "A similar call was also made by the Japanese Coast Guard within the vicinity. The Japanese and Chinese vessels made alternate calls through voice radio on separate ocassions," Pablico added. BRP Tarlac commanding officer, Capt. Estelito Lagadia, said aircraft conducting aerial surveys spotted them and informed them that they can call Channel 16 if in need of any assistance. "I said thank you for your assistance. We are on passage for Russia," the naval officer stressed. BRP Tarlac left Manila South Harbor on September 21 for the PN's first port call to Vladivostok, Russia. She is expected to arrive there by October 1. Source : Philippine News Agency

U.S. Gives Ukraine Two Cutters as Kerch Strait Tensions Grow

The cutter Cushing under way on the Potomac, 2015 (Wikimedia / Kupecap) The U.S. Coast Guard is preparing to transfer two Island-class cutters, the Drummond and the Cushing, to the Ukrainian government. In a sign of its significance for Kiev, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko will be present at the transfer ceremony Thursday. The agreement comes in the context of broader American military assistance to Ukraine and the growing tensions between Ukrainian and Russian forces in the Sea of Azov. When Russia seized the Crimean peninsula from Ukraine in 2014, the United States responded with sanctions against Russia's energy industry and began to provide assistance to the Ukrainian military. This aid initially centered on training and non-lethal equipment for field operations, like UAVs, night vision goggles and light armored cars. Beginning this year it has also included weaponry, notably the sale and transfer of hundreds of Javelin anti-tank missiles for Kiev's ongoing battle with pro-Russian separatists in Eastern Ukraine. The Island-class U.S. Coast Guard cutters are lightly armed, with one 25mm deck gun and two .50-caliber machine guns. They are in post-retirement service with multiple militaries and law enforcement agencies, and are being replaced in U.S. Coast Guard service by the new Fast Response Cutter series. In May, Russian contractors completed a new bridge over the Kerch Strait, the narrow waterway separating Crimea from contiguous Russian territory. Its completion was followed closely by the imposition of new restrictions on Ukrainian shipping through the Strait, which connects Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov with the Black Sea. According to the U.S. State Department, Russian border patrol authorities have detained hundreds of passing merchant vessels - some on multiple occasions, and some for several days - since the bridge's highway span was completed in May. "Russia’s actions to impede maritime transit are further examples of its ongoing campaign to undermine and destabilize Ukraine, as well as its disregard for international norms," said U.S. State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert in a statement in late August. On Sunday, Ukraine sent two naval auxiliaries - one SAR vessel and one tug - through the Kerch Strait, according to Ukrainian media. The two vessels were bound for Berdyansk, a port on the Sea of Azov. Ukraine's Navy hopes to relocate its second-largest naval base to a new facility at Berdyansk and maintain a permanent flotilla north of the Kerch Strait. Source : MAREX

Navy F-35 makes emergency landing at civilian airport By: Geoff Ziezulewicz A Navy F-35C Lighting II Joint Strike Fighter made an emergency landing at Yosemite International Airport in Fresno on Monday afternoon due to a possible mechanical glitch, Navy officials in California confirmed Tuesday. The jet’s pilot — from the “Rough Raiders” of Strike Fighter Squadron 125 — received an in-flight indication of a potential problem at about 1 p.m. Monday, Naval Air Forces spokesman Cmdr. Ronald Flanders said. The unnamed pilot tried to troubleshoot the issue from the air but could not and landed the jet without injury at the civilian airport. Maintainers are now on the scene to figure out what happened, Flanders said. Navy regulations mandate that pilots land aircraft when certain indicators pop and this problem appears to be “very minor,” Flanders added. Source: Maasmond Maritime

HMS Defender leaving Portsmouth harbour on 24 September 2018. Photo: Peter Ford

Mexico’s POLA corvette 78% complete as final Dutch-built module arrives The Mexican Navy’s Patrulla Oceánica de Largo Alcance (POLA) corvette is now 78 percent complete as the command bridge – the final Dutch-built module – arrived at the ASTIMAR 20 shipyard in Oaxaca late August. The Mexican Navy announced on Wednesday that the module had been installed and that a ceremonial launch of the vessel is set for November 23. POLA is based on Damen’s SIGMA 10514 vessel design capable of sailing at speeds of up to 25+ knots and staying at sea for more than 20 days.

Photo: Mexican Navy

Dutch shipbuilder Damen and the Mexican Navy agreed to build two of the overall six modular sections of the vessel at Damen Schelde Naval Shipbuilding (DSNS) in Vlissingen, the Netherlands, with the remaining four modules to be built locally in Mexico. Earlier this year, the US government authorized Mexico to buy a range of weapons and systems for the ship. These include RGM-84L Harpoon Block II anti-ship missiles, Block II Rolling Airframe Missile (RAM) surface-to-air missiles, MK 54 Mod 0 lightweight torpedoes and an 8-cell MK56 VLS launcher along with Evolved Seasparrow Missiles (ESSM). Once it is launched in November, the 107-meter ship will proceed with further outfitting and trials in 2019 while delivery and commissioning are expected in 2020. Source: Naval Today

At least two’ Type 23 Frigates reportedly to be axed in new cuts It has been reported that while assault ships HMS Albion and HMS Bulwark have been saved, at least two Type 23 frigates will have to be axed. The Sunday Times has reported that at least two Type 23 frigates will have to be axed. Luke Pollard, Labour MP for Sutton and Devonport, was quoted as saying: “We need to be aware there are capability gaps in our armed forces. We can cope if there is a plan to cover those. We are still in the same place we were months ago on cuts to the Royal Marines and the amphibious ships. This is yet more speculation about the cuts. Because the government can’t agree on how much to spend on defence, it has pushed these decisions into the long grass, and that continues to erode confidence. We need a fully funded and capable military. That means no more cuts and proper decisions about base-porting.” An MoD spokesperson said in a statement: “The Prime Minister, Chancellor and Defence Secretary will continue to work closely throughout the next phase of the Modernising Defence Programme and will keep the House updated as decisions are made. We will be in a position to share more detailed conclusions over the autumn.” Source: UK Defence Journal

Goa Shipyard to build two frigates with Russian technology PANAJI: India has completed the price negotiations for the purchase of four advanced Talwar-class stealth frigates from Russia, two of which will be built at Goa Shipyard Limited, with the deal pegged at close to $2 billion, a source close to the developments said. Defence ministry officials told reporters they expect the two countries to ink the agreement during the 19th Indo- Russian summit between Russian President Vladamir Putin and Prime Minister Narendra Modi on October 5. "The price negotiations for Project 1135.6 are complete and broadly the price is around $1.75 billion, which includes the technology transfer to Goa Shipyard," a senior level official said. While two stealth frigates will be bought directly from Russia's Yantar Shipyard, United Shipbuilding Corporation, which owns the Kaliningrad-based shipyard, has agreed to transfer the technology for the frigates to Goa Shipyard for an undisclosed price. "The plan is to develop a strategic capability at Goa Shipyard so that another line is opened up in the country to indigenously build such warships. Almost 50% of the equipment will be indigenized. The BrahMos missile system will be integrated on the warship. The aim is to indigenously integrate the combat management system (CMS) which will be a challenge," the source said. India inked an Inter-Governmental Agreement (IGA) with Russia for the four frigates during a meeting between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Russian President Vladimir Putin on the side-lines of the 2016 BRICS Summit in Goa. Government official say that if the two nations finalize the deal this October, then construction of the two frigates can commence by 2020 and the first guided missile frigate can be delivered by GSL in 2025. The curbs imposed by US through the Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA) remains a wrinkle for the deal and India and Russia are still trying to hammer out a solution to bypass the US sanctions. "The payment method has not been finalized and the government at various levels is engaging in discussions," sources said. Source: Goan Connection

Workhorses of the sea

The Skandi Skansen working with the FPSO Egina at Egina field offshore Nigeria Photo : Richard Qualm Aqualis Offshore (c)