Defence Force News

BMT has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with DNV that will accelerate BMT’s development of an Australian version of our CAIMEN® Large Design for the future Landing Craft – Heavy (LC-H) program for the Australian Army.Under this MoU, DNV will work with BMT throughout the process of tailoring the CAIMEN Large, to meet the Australian Army’s future requirements. DNV’s insights will ensure that BMT are able to identify and manage technical risk, minimizing schedule impacts…

Maritime Authority of Jamaica’s Director General, Rear Admiral (ret’d) Peter Brady, has retired, with the position being accepted by Bertrand Smith, formerly the MAJ’s Director of Legal Affairs.Brady has served in this role since the Maritime Authority’s inception in 1999.As Director General, he was primarily responsible for elevating Jamaica’s maritime status regionally and globally. He spearheaded several major initiatives by the MAJ including the development of Jamaica as a shipping hub with attendant services such as bunkering and drydocking…

Australian shipbuilding group Austal announced its Austal Australia arm has delivered the 17th Guardian-class Patrol Boat (GCPB) to the Australian Department of Defense. The vessel, HMPNGS Gilbert Toropo, was then gifted by the Australian Government to the Papua New Guinea Defence Force at a handover ceremony held at the HMAS Stirling naval base in Western Australia.The new Guardian-class Patrol Boat is the fourth of four vessels to be gifted to Papua New Guinea under the Pacific Patrol Boat Replacement Project…

South African President Cyril Ramaphosa said on Sunday that an independent inquiry has found no evidence that a Russian ship had collected weapons from the country late last year destined for Russia.In claims that sparked a diplomatic row, the U.S. ambassador to South Africa, Reuben Brigety, told local journalists in a May briefing that Russian cargo ship Lady R had uploaded weapons at a naval base near Cape Town in December.The U.S. accusations raised questions over South Africa's professed stance of non-alignment and neutrality over Russia's war in Ukraine and concerns of possible Western sanctions.In an address to the nation, Ramaphosa…

Papua New Guinea (PNG) has invited the USCGC Myrtle Hazard (WPC 1139) to join their lead in maritime operations to combat illegal fishing and safeguard maritime resources during August 2023.This marks the first time a joint patrol effort will be executed at sea since the signing and ratification of the recent bilateral defense agreement between PNG and the US, which allows the US to embark shipriders from PNG agencies aboard the ship to conduct at sea boardings on other vessels operating in the exclusive economic zone (EEZ).The move emphasizes PNG’s commitment to maritime domain awareness…

The Bahamas Maritime Cadet Corps (BMCC), which was first established by The Bahamas Ministry of Transport in 2004 to introduce high school students to employment opportunities in the maritime sector and build national capacity, said more graduates than ever this year have chosen to enter a career in shipping related industries.Many of this year’s 97 graduating students are opting to join the Royal Bahamas Defence Force or are considering further maritime education. A large number…

A tanker berthed at Jurong Port Tank Terminals (JPTT) caught fire on Tuesday, with smoke observed on the forward part of the tanker, Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore has informed.Singapore Civil Defence Force marine and land-based firefighting forces, MPA patrol craft, and JPTT’s emergency response unit were deployed to put out the fire and ensure navigational safety.As a precautionary measure, operations at the adjacent berths have stopped, and a nearby vessel at the berth has been shifted to the anchorage."The fire was extinguished at about 0925 hours, and the tanker’s crew are all safe and accounted for. There is no damage to the tanks and berths at JPTT.

Singapore-registered passenger ferry 'QUEEN STAR 2' caught fire on Friday while en route from Singapore to Batam, the Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) has informed.The Maritime and Port Authority of Singapore (MPA) was alerted that there was a fire in the ferry's engine room on Friday, 12:30 local time."MPA, the Singapore Civil Defence Force (SCDF), and Police Coast Guard (PCG) immediately deployed their crafts to provide assistance. MPA also deployed a tug boat to provide assistance and tow the ferry," the MPA said."All 62 passengers, including Singaporeans, Malaysians, and Indonesians, among others, on the ferry 'QUEEN STAR 2' have been safely transferred to another vessel 'MERBAU ERA' which was on the way to Harbourfront Ferry Terminal.

Three of New Zealand’s nine naval ships are sitting idle in port as higher civilian salaries lure personnel out of the military, the country’s Defence Force said on Wednesday, even as tensions in the Pacific rise between China and the U.S. and its allies.The HMNZS Wellington, an offshore patrol vessel, headed back to New Zealand early from what was meant to be a three-month deployment in the Pacific and was taken out of operation in November because of shortages, the New Zealand Defence Force said.The Wellington is the third ship to be put into “care and custody”…

Raytheon Australia, BMT and Austal Australia are working together in a bid to deliver the new Australian Independent Littoral Maneuver Vessel, or ILMV, for the Australian Army.If selected to deliver the Army’s LAND 8710-1A program, Raytheon Australia will lead the team to deliver the BMT-designed vessel, which will be built by Austal at the Henderson shipyard in Western Australia. Thee Australian ILMV is based on a proven design and tailored for the Australian environment, the Australian ILMV.BMT Senior Business Development Manager…

Italian shipbuilder Fincantieri and Spain's Navantia said on Tuesday they will sign a memorandum of understanding on Nov. 3 to strengthen their relationship and explore the benefits of a broadened collaboration in the naval and maritime field.The companies said in a statement they would assess future opportunities for Italian and Spanish navies, including "the participation in the development of future destroyers and other naval platforms that will be part of the future European Defence Force".(Reporting by Elisa Anzolin; editing by Agnieszka Flak)

Japan has cancelled a maritime fleet review planned for Monday, a spokesman for the Maritime Self-Defence Force said, after a fierce typhoon pounded Tokyo and surrounding regions over the weekend, causing flooding and widespread power outages.Last held four years ago, the review was due to include 46 naval vessels and 40 aircraft. Ships from Australia, India, the United States, Canada, Singapore and Britain were to join.Reporting by Tim Kelly

HMS Argyll has hunted down submarines in the Philippine Sea during exercises with allied navies from Japan and the United States.This was the first time these navies have combined like this as they tested their specialist anti-submarine warfare skills.Japan’s helicopter destroyer JS Izumo worked with the Plymouth-based frigate to hunt down a US Navy Submarine, which was playing the part of the enemy during two days of training.Argyll has already worked alongside the Japanese navy…

Naval Ship Management (NSM), an existing joint venture between Babcock and UGL, has been awarded the support and sustainment program for two Landing Helicopter Docks (LHDs) at the Garden Island Defence Precinct in NSW, following a competitive bidding process.The announcement made today by the Australian Minister for Defence, the Hon Christopher Pyne MP, confirmed NSM was selected by the Australian Defence Force to sustain and support two LHDs and twelve LHD Landing Crafts (LLCs) for a period of 15 years.

Deal covers nine anti-submarine warfare ships; BAE beat Italy's Fincantieri and Spain's Navantia. Britain's BAE Systems PLC has won a A$35 billion ($25.7 billion) contest to deliver anti-submarine warfare frigates for the Australian navy, the Australian government said on Thursday. The nine ships, to be designed by BAE and built by government-owned ASC Shipbuilding in Australia are expected to underpin the country's maritime combat capability for decades to come, the Australian government said in a statement. "The Hunter class will provide the Australian Defence Force with the highest levels of lethality and deterrence our major surface combatants need in periods of global uncertainty," it said of the ships. Australia is a steadfast U.S.

A new agreement between BAE Systems Australia and Flinders University will see students and industry working together to develop new ways to provide Australia’s defence force with the evolving capability it needs and train the shipbuilding workforce of the future. BAE Systems is one of three companies bidding to build nine Anti-Submarine Warships for the Royal Australian Navy. The company is proposing an Australian variant of the Global Combat Ship currently being manufactured in the UK for the Royal Navy. Flinders University will receive access to BAE Systems’ digital shipbuilding tools, processes and methodologies and turn these into development programs to train the people who will build the Future Frigates and integrate the ships’ complex operating systems…

Rolls-Royce reports it has been selected to supply its MT30 gas turbine to power a new class of frigates for the Japan Maritime Self Defence Force (JMSDF).The selection means Japan is the fifth nation to select the MT30 for a major naval shipbuilding program.Sam Cameron, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President – Defence, said, “Japan’s selection of the MT30 is very significant and means that the three largest users of marine gas turbines, have all endorsed the capabilities of the MT30…

A British warship “changed its deployment” and arrived in Japan on Wednesday to join efforts to police U.N. sanctions imposed on North Korea over its nuclear and missile programs. The Royal Navy frigate HMS Sutherland arrived at Yokosuka, the headquarters of Japan’s Maritime Defence Force fleet and home port of the U.S. Seventh Fleet’s carrier strike group. It “will be contributing to the international efforts to monitor prohibited trade at sea by the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea (DPRK)…

Japan is considering refitting the Izumo helicopter carrier so that it can land U.S. Marines F-35B stealth fighters, government sources said on Tuesday, as Tokyo faces China’s maritime expansion and North Korea’s missile and nuclear development. Japan has not had fully fledged aircraft carriers since its World War Two defeat in 1945. Any refit of the Izumo would be aimed at preparing for a scenario in which runways in Japan had been destroyed by missile attacks, and at bolstering defense around Japan’s southwestern islands, where China’s maritime activity has increased.

Japan has told the United Nations about a North Korean tanker spotted in the East China Sea that it suspects was engaged in a transfer of goods with another tanker in defiance of U.N. sanctions, the Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday. North Korea's development of nuclear weapons and missiles capable of hitting the United States has spurred deepening U.N. Security Council sanctions and stoked fears of a military conflict. According to a statement issued by the Foreign Ministry, the North Korean-flagged tanker "Rye Song Gang 1" - blacklisted by the United Nations last month for carrying banned cargo - was spotted by a Japanese Maritime Self Defence Force patrol plane with the Dominican-flagged tanker "Yuk Tung" tied up beside it in the East China Sea on Saturday.

Australian and New Zealand joint forces have seized 915 kilograms of heroin, valued in excess of $274 million, in a counter-narcotics operation in the Western Indian Ocean. HMAS Warramunga’s crew has conducted one of the largest drug seizures in Operation MANITOU’s history as part of the Australian-led Combined Task Force 150. In a joint counter-narcotics operation, the Royal Australian Navy and the New Zealand Defence Force seized 915 kilograms of heroin valued in excess of AUD$274 million. A Royal New Zealand Air Force P-3K2 aircraft detected a suspicious vessel in the Western Indian Ocean on 23 January 2018, which was boarded and investigated by the crew in Royal Australian Navy frigate HMAS Warramunga on 24 January.

New Zealand military planes on Monday were scouring a section of the Pacific Ocean for more survivors from a missing ferry after eight people were rescued from a dingy that was adrift for days. The survivors, including an unconscious teenage girl, were safely transferred to a nearby fishing vessel late on Sunday, Defence Force Air Commodore Darryn Webb told Radio New Zealand. The air search resumed at first light on Monday, he said. The New Zealand Defence Force had originally said there were seven survivors, but later revised the number to eight in a statement. The 17-metre (56-foot) ferry with 50 people on board was reported missing on Jan. 20, two days after it departed Nonouti Island on a 250-km (155-mile) trip to Betio in Kiribati.

The Swedish Club and Stena Line have completed a major Emergency Response Training Exercise, designed to test how Stena’s own emergency procedures integrate with those of the authorities and support services in the event of a major incident. The round table exercise took place last week at the Swedish Sea Rescue Society headquarters, with over sixty expert contributors taking part. The drill, jointly planned and conducted by the Club and the Swedish Joint Rescue Coordination Centre (JRCC)…