MARITIME NEWS – 22 SEPTEMBER 2016 Welcome Home Ladies

A wonderful sight for locals today was the arrival home of SAS Drakensberg after a long absence and a day after her being reported to be undergoing repairs in Durban. Not only was she back at sea but she was followed in by SAS Spioenkop – the cherry on the top. Photo : Mike Loverock Tanker Collides with Philippine Navy’s Newest and Largest Ship

BRP Tarlac (LD-601) Authorities in the Philippines are investigating how a commercial tanker veered off course and collided the Philippine Navy’s newest and biggest ship. The Philippine Navy said the tanker MT Tasco struck the side of the BRP Tarlac Monday night off the coast of Zamboanga City in the southern Philippines. Reports indicate that the Navy ship was moored at the time of the collision. The Tarlac suffered minor damaged to its right forward rail and a side ramp. The tanker suffered mostly cosmetic damage to its hull, reports said.

Damage to the BRP Tarlac. The Tarlac was only recently commissioned in June and is the first of two strategic sealift vessels (SSVs) built for the Philippine Navy by PT PAL shipyard in Indonesia. Not only is it the newest ship in the fleet, but it is also the largest in the Philippines Armed Forces, displacing 7,000t and 11,538t in standard and full load, respectively. The cause of the incident is under investigation. Source : gCaptain No more than a fender bender! As with the tanker – cosmetic damage only. US Navy destroyer commander shares his thoughts on Canadian-led Cutlass Fury

The Guided missile destroyer USS Gonzalez (DDG 66) passes beneath the McDonald Bridge during a passing exercise to begin the at-sea phase of Exercise Cutlass Fury 2016. Photo: US Navy Cmdr. Stefan Walch is the commanding officer of USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), an Arleigh Burke-class guided missile destroyer currently sailing off the coast of Canada taking part in the international exercise Cutlass Fury 2016. Undeterred by the exercise’s busy schedule, Cmdr. Walch has found time to take to the official blog of the U.S. Navy and share his thoughts on the exercise which you can read below. “Captain is in combat!” is a familiar phrase to any Sailor working in the Combat Information Center when the commanding officer enters, but also it serves as a reminder of the primary mission of any sea-going naval command – fight and win at sea. USS Gonzalez (DDG 66), also known as “Fighting Freddy,” deployed to support operations in Europe, the Middle East and Africa from November 2015 to July 2016, during which time team Gonzalez was at the peak of core naval competencies, responding to multi-threat challenges. Throughout work-ups and deployment, my crew was tested and proved successful in multiple Fleet operating areas. Now with military allies in the North Atlantic, we continue to hone our built-in knowledge of the battlespace, connections among our network of partners and our ability to quickly respond to the environment. This month, we are now participating in Exercise Cutlass Fury 2016, a Canadian-led, combined, joint maritime exercise designed to promote and enhance cooperation in the Atlantic. This year’s exercise incorporated naval, air and land components from Canada, France, Spain, the United Kingdom and the United States. This exercise provided the team another opportunity to demonstrate the ship’s motto of “Beyond the call.” This motto serves as a reminder of our namesake and Medal of Honor recipient, Sgt. Freddy Gonzalez, who surpassed the nation’s call during the Battle of Hue City in protecting those he led over several days, while fighting enemy forces until he was mortally wounded. At sea and engaged in maneuvers with partner nations, the true test of our abilities is being run through the paces daily during Cutlass Fury. The exercise provides a forum for valuable training to enhance shared readiness and our ability to operate in the Atlantic. We’ve exercised air defense, maritime interdiction operations, weapons firing and most predominantly anti-submarine warfare. Recognizing the rapid rate of change occurring in both technology and the maritime domain, it is not lost on us that other world powers also see the value in anti-submarine capabilities and are increasingly conducting anti-submarine warfare exercises. We benefit from shared interests and objectives with our partner nations that have been fortified for decades. We continue to grow and maintain our team’s edge for combat at sea – relationships matter and we are building connections with the next generation of international partners who will stand the watch. There are still many training events to conduct as we head into the final stretch of Cutlass Fury 16 but I have already seen a marked growth in understanding among participating forces, demonstrated through our ability to better negotiate shared water and air space, and plan and act as a combined force. Passing through the midpoint of the exercise, with our network of partners, we continue to build capable and adaptable maritime partnerships that are beyond the call! Source : Naval Today Egypt receives second Mistral class vessel; first Gowind floated

The Egyptian Navy has taken delivery of its second and final Mistral class landing helicopter dock, Anwar el-Sadat , while DCNS has floated the first of four Gowind corvettes for Egypt. The Anwar el-Sadat (L 1020) was handed over to the Egyptian Navy in Saint Nazaire, France, on 16 September in a ceremony attended by Egyptian Navy Chief of Staff Osama Rabie, the chairman and CEO of DCNS, Hervé Guillou, and the president of STX France, Laurent Castaing, together with senior French and Egyptian officials. It departed St Nazaire on 21 September for Egypt and en route is scheduled to take part in a joint exercise with the French Navy in Toulon. Arrival in Alexandria is scheduled for 6 October. Shipbuilder DCNS said 180 sailors have been training on the vessel since June in conjunction with DCNS, STX France and Defense Conseil International. In all, close to 400 Egyptian sailors will have received training in this way. On 10 October 2015, DCNS signed a contract with the Ministry of Defence of the Arab Republic of Egypt for the supply of two Mistral-class Landing Helicopter Dock vessels (LHDs). The delivery of the first of these two helicopter carriers, the LHD Gamal Abdel Nasser (L 1010) took place on 2 June 2016. By 2020, DCNS will have supplied seven combat vessels to Egypt. In July 2014 Egypt ordered four Gowind corvettes, and in August 2015 received the FREMM multi- mission frigate Tahya Misr . Alexandria shipyards is building three of the four Gowind corvettes acquired in 2014 – work on the first began at the beginning of this year. The Gowind built by DCNS was floated out of its assembly hall at the Lorient shipyard on 17 September. The vessel, Elfateh, is scheduled for delivery next year. Source : defenceWeb Fishing vessel and Royal Navy respond to Mayday to save sinking vessel Shortly after 1.15am Wednesday 21 September a 20ft vessel issued a Mayday call to the UK Coastguard after it began taking on water in the middle of the Irish Sea, 16 miles west of the Isle of Man. HMS Somerset and fishing vessel Stefanie M were a few miles away when they picked up the UK Coastguard’s Mayday Relay Broadcast asking for assistance from vessels in the area. Stefanie M and HMS Somerset ’s helicopter responded immediately to the scene and HMS Somerset altered course to make its way to the stricken vessel.UK Coastguard also tasked UK Coastguard search and rescue helicopter based at Prestwick and the Peel RNLI all weather lifeboat to assist the operation. The Royal Navy helicopter and the fishing vessel kept the sinking vessel under a safe wing until the arrival of the Lifeboat. Four persons on board the vessel, three adults and one child are safe and well and are now being escorted to shore with their vessel. Source: UK Coastguard Taiwan Asks Google to Blur South China Sea Images Taiwan's defense ministry said on Wednesday it is asking Google to blur satellite images showing what experts say appear to be new military installations on Itu Aba, Taipei's sole holding in the disputed South China Sea. Itu Aba is 1.3 kilometers (0.8 miles) in length and less than half a square kilometer in total area. It has been held by Taiwan since 1946 when Japan left the island at the end of the Second World War. Taiwan is conducting port renovations valued at $100 million on the island so that it can accommodate frigates and coast guard cutters. It is also boosting the island’s runway. The revelation of new military-related construction could raise tensions in the contested waterway, where China's building of airstrips and other facilities has worried other claimants and the United States. The images seen on Google Earth show four three-pronged structures sitting in a semi-circle just off the northwestern shoreline of Itu Aba, across from an upgraded airstrip and recently constructed port that can dock 3,000-ton frigates.

Ita Abu "Under the pre-condition of protecting military secrets and security, we have requested Google blur images of important military facilities," Taiwan Defence Ministry spokesman Chen Chung-chi said on Wednesday, after local media published the images on Itu Aba. The United States has urged against the militarization of the South China Sea, following the rapid land reclamation by China on several disputed reefs through dredging, and building air fields and port facilities. Taiwan's defense ministry and coast guard, which directly oversee Itu Aba, said details about the structures are confidential and have not commented on their nature. Google, a unit of Alphabet Inc, said it was reviewing the request from Taiwan, but that to date such requests have not resulted in Google blurring imagery. Satellite images used on Google Earth and Google Maps come from third-party providers, which Google purchases for use in its mapping system, according to the search giant. "We take security concerns very seriously, and are always willing to discuss them with public agencies and officials," Google spokesman Taj Meadows said in an emailed response. Defense experts in Taiwan said that based on the imagery of the structures and their semi-circular layout, the structures were likely related to defense and could be part of an artillery foundation. "I think definitely it will be for military purposes, but I cannot tell if it is for defending, attacking or monitoring," said Dustin Wang, a scholar and a former government advisor who has regularly visited Itu Aba. Wang said given the structures' location which faces the main seaborne traffic, they may relate to surveillance. China, Taiwan, the Philippines, Vietnam, Malaysia and Brunei claim parts or all of the South China Sea, through which trillions of dollars in trade passes. In July, an international court ruled against China in a case brought by the Philippines that rejected China's claim to vast swathes of the disputed maritime area. Both China and Taiwan, which China views as a renegade province, vehemently rejected the court ruling. Source : Maritime Executive Pirates Storm Container Ship off Guinea Pirates stormed a container ship off the coast of Guinea on Wednesday 21 September, making off with money and some of its cargo but leaving the crew unharmed, the government said. They fired guns and briefly held the crew hostage while they were looting the ship named Wendok , Guinea government spokesman Albert Camara said by telephone. He did not have details of the flag Wendok was flying under, the company running it, what its cargo was nor the nationalities of the crew. He said that Guinea’s navy had been alerted but that the pirates had escaped before it could catch them. Two security sources confirmed the incident, but likewise did not have further details. IMB Piracy Reporting Centre Statement: 21.09.2016: 0252 LT: Posn: 09:18.47N – 013:45.51W, Conakry Anchorage, Guinea. Six robbers armed with guns boarded and fired upon the duty crew onboard an anchored container ship. Master activated the SSAS alert, raised the alarm and locked the accommodation. The robbers however, gained access into the ship by breaking the bridge wing windows. After taking the crew hostage the robbers ransacked and looted every crew cabin, stole crew personal belongings, ship’s cash and escaped. The IMB Piracy Reporting Centre liaised with the Guinea Navy who responded and boarded the ship. All crew reported safe. Security experts class West Africa’s waters, especially off Nigeria where most of the pirates originate, as some of the world’s most dangerous, with attackers often targeting oil tankers as well as hostages to ransom. Source : Thomson Reuters Russian Navy to launch first Project 23370M modular cutter

Photo: Russian Ministry of Defense The Russian Ministry of Defense announced it would launch the first Project 23370M modular cutter in Murmansk, Russia on September 24. SMK-2176, as the lead boat in the class is named, is one of three next- generation multifunctional search-and-rescue cutters the Russian Navy intends to put into service by 2018. The Russian Navy already operates 12 Project 2337o cutters which entered service between 2014 and 2015. According to the Russian Navy, improved Project 23370M cutters distinguish themselves from their predecessors through increased dimensions, better seaworthiness, greater speed and improved operational capacities. The modular catamarans will be used by the navy as platforms for diving and search and rescue operations, fire fighting and environmental protection operations. Once the SMK-2176 is launched, it will undergo sea trials before joining the Russian Northern Fleet. The other two cutters will join the Pacific Fleet and will be based in Vladivostok and Petropavlovsk-Kamchatsky, the Russian Ministry of Defense said. Source : Naval Today How Navy foiled hijack of Hanze Kochi The Nigerian Navy said on Monday that it had averted the hijack of Hanze Kochi , a marine chemical tanker by sea robbers in the Gulf of Guinea. The ship is owned by Netherlands company Hanzevast Shipping. Navy Director of Information, Commodore Christian Ezekobe said that operatives of the Nigerian Navy successfully repelled the attack by the sea robbers on the marine tanker en-route Lagos from Port Harcourt. “The attackers made spirited efforts to board the vessel 50 nautical miles off Bayelsa on Sept. 16, at about 0250 hrs but were heavily engaged and overpowered in a gun duel by naval personnel,” Ezekobe said in the statement. Maritime Herald further described the attempted hijack and how the Nigerian Navy came to the rescue: “A group of armed men approached the vessel in early morning by fast boat. The duty officer raised alarm for piracy attack and all the crew locked in the citadel. A distress call was sent to the Nigerian navy. “The pirates boarded the ship and took control, but the navy sent two boats with guards. The pirates robbed some of the crew rooms, but had no time due to approaching navy guards. “They abandoned chemical tanker Hanze Kochi , some minutes later and fled to the shore. The Nigerian navy freed the vessel and crew. No injuries were reported and vessel resumed voyage to Lagos, where anchored a few hours later. “The investigation for the root cause of the accident is under way. There were no damages and injuries reported. The pirates had no time to steal much from the crew. ” The vessel has overall length of 140.95 m, moulded beam of 19.60 m and maximum draft of 5.50 m. The deadweight of the tanker is 12,279 DWT and the gross tonnage is 7,446 GRT. The ship was built in 2007 by Volharding Shipyard in Hoogezand, Netherlands. The owner and operator of chemical tanker Hanze Kochi is Netherlands company Hanzevast Shipping.” Ezekobe also reported that a patrol team deployed by FOB Bonny in Rivers arrested Marine Vessel (MV) FB Pere Ipamo at Shell Slot Jetty in Bonny for alleged involvement in illegal bunkering activities. “At the time of the arrest, on Sept. 14, the vessel was carrying about 500 tonnes of illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO). “Similarly, on Sept. 17, a patrol team deployed by NNS Delta conducted anti-crude oil theft operations in which two illegal refinery sites were raided,” he said. He explained that the sites were located at Lakpaje and Ubeje Creeks in Warri South Local Government Area of Delta. “During the raid, the patrol team destroyed about 18,000 litres of suspected stolen crude oil and 15,000 litres of suspected refined AGO. “The feat achieved by the Nigerian Navy in cracking down the activities of the criminals in the maritime domain is a pointer that there is no hiding place for any criminal,” the director said. He reiterated the commitment of the service to safeguarding the nation’s maritime environment. Source : nan.ng This is the NN version of the incident. Somehow the bad guys often seem to get away! READER COMMENT When the industry chapter of the Defence Review was drafted, we set down Denel as a key actor in ‘sovereign’ technologies. That implied that Denel would be there to cooperate with whatever company won a particular contract. There was no thought of Denel entering into any exclusive agreements as they have done with Poly Technologies for Biro. And what are they going to do should they win the Biro tender? All of the shipyards are tied to one or another of the bidders, none to Poly Technologies. So short of building in the Dockyard, they would have to go on bended knee to the shipyards against whom they bid. And if they do not win, what makes then think the winning bidder would want to use Denel ISM? They have all picked a systems house, and Denel chose to not work with anyone but Poly Technologies – unless then lose, in which case “we would hope the winning company would choose us” and dump their original partner. Hence my ‘no comment’! AGS