Greek Navy News

Greece on Wednesday concluded a tender for the sale of Hellenic Shipyards SA, the country's biggest shipyard which has been under special administration, its finance minister said.The debt-laden shipyard, based in Skaramangas near Athens, offers maintenance services to the Greek navy and the sale has been part of Greek government drive to overhaul its loss-making Greek defense industry and boost the country's defense capabilities.

European Council President Charles Michel called on Turkey to keep working to resolve disputes with Greece and Cyprus over gas rights in the Mediterranean as he visited Ankara on Tuesday to discuss trade and refugees with President Tayyip Erdogan.A row between Turkey and EU members Greece and Cyprus over offshore jurisdiction has strained ties, reaching a peak last summer when Turkish and Greek navy frigates escorted vessels exploring for hydrocarbons in disputed waters.The European Union backs Athens, while Ankara has accused the bloc of bias and of not honoring its pledges under a 2016 migrant deal.The visit by Michel and European…

A Portuguese-flagged container vessel collided with a Greek navy minehunter off the Greek port of Piraeus early on Tuesday, seriously damaging the Greek ship, authorities said.TV images showed the navy vessel Kallisto tilting on its side and sinking, and a big part of its stern was missing. A tug boat later towed it to the Salamina naval base.Two people were slightly injured and transferred to hospital, a coast guard official said, adding that the Greek navy vessel’s 27-member crew had been taken to safety.The 266-metre long container ship Maersk Launceston was not damaged.It was not immediately clear how the collision happened, the official said.

The European Union's latest strategy to defuse tensions with Turkey is unraveling, two weeks after it was sealed, raising the risk of conflict in the Eastern Mediterranean, diplomats, officials and experts said.Despite an EU summit deal in the early hours of Oct. 2 aimed at persuading Ankara to stop exploring for natural gas in waters disputed by Greece and Cyprus, Turkey said on Wednesday it was restarting operations of a survey ship.Turkey had withdrawn the vessel last month, just before the EU summit, at which economic sanctions were discussed, only to redeploy it on Monday. Three European diplomats said this gave the impression that Ankara was toying with Brussels.The EU leaders left themselves exposed because they failed to come up with a solution to the gas dispute…

Danish company  Viking Life-Saving Equipment has won an order for eleven METIS Rigid inflatable boats (RIBs) from the Greek Navy.The new RIBs will be deployed mainly to support search and rescue operations on delivery over the summer of 2020. They will replace craft currently used onboard larger vessels in the Hellenic Navy’s fleet, including its ΜΕΚΟ-type frigates.John Georgiadis Managing Director, VIKING Norsafe Life-Saving Equipment Hellas said his company won the deal against…

A Greek gunboat was nudged by a Turkish cargo vessel early on Friday while on patrol for unauthorized migrant crossings in the Aegean Sea, the Greek navy said.The gunboat "Armatolos" was on patrol off the island of Lesbos as part of a NATO operation when the incident occurred at 4 a.m. local time (0100 GMT).The Turkish-flagged vessel "approached and touched" the Greek gunboat, the navy said in a statement. It then accelerated towards Turkish shores and did not respond to subsequent radio calls from the Greek gunboat, according to the statement.The Greek navy said NATO authorities had been informed, adding that there were no injuries or any serious damage to the ship.

There were no casualties after a Turkish cargo ship collided with a Greek warship in the Aegean Sea early on Friday, Turkey's Ministry of Transport said.   The Greek navy earlier said one its gunboats was nudged by a Turkish cargo vessel while on patrol for unauthorised migrant crossings in the Aegean.   "We have received information that there is no threat of sinkage, death, casualties or environmental pollution," the ministry said in a statement.   Reporting by Tulay Karadeniz and Ezgi Erkoyun

Hellenic Navy warship, HS Psara joined EU Naval Force Somalia, Operation Atalanta Wednesday, February 20. The Greek Navy frigate left the Salamina Naval Base on Thursday, February 13. HS Psara will be part of the EU’s counter-piracy operation in the Horn of Africa and Western Indian Ocean for a period of three months. The warship previously participated in EU Naval Force between December 2008 to April 2009. HS Psara is a Hydra class frigate and was commissioned into the Greek Navy in 1998.

AdvanFort appointed Dimitrios Angelopoulos, a retired Hellenic Navy submarine commander, as its new business development manager. Before coming to AdvanFort, Mr. Angelopoulos worked for Hellenic Shipyards S.A. as the project manager for the 214-type submarine contract with the Hellenic Navy. A Hellenic Naval Academy graduate, he has an Executive MBA degree from the University of Piraeus and an MBA degree from the University of Louisville. As a career submarine officer, Mr. Angelopoulos served for 15 years in the submarine fleet…

AdvanFort Company appointed Nicholas-Andrew Iliopoulos business development director. Mr. Iliopoulos is a former Greek Navy Lt. Commander and a master mariner who for nearly a decade served as the personal liaison of HM the late King Hussein Bin Talal of Jordan to the seafaring community. “Nicholas Iliopoulos’s selection literally covers the waterfront as well as those seas of opportunity on distant shores,” said Captain William H. Watson, AdvanFort’s president. Since 2009, Mr. Iliopoulos has been a resident instructor at the Dalian Maritime University in China in addition to being an international representative for Videotel Maritime International. Receiving the accolades of colleagues and business representatives around the world, Mr.

The last operational World War II tank-landing ship, the USS LST-325, was scheduled to refuel at the Port of Indiana-Mount Vernon during the weekend of April 16 on a visit to the city’s riverfront. This LST – which stands for Landing Ship, Tanks – is one of only two such ships preserved in the U.S. and the only one capable of sailing on its own. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2009. “This is the last LST out of 1,051 – all built for World War II service,” said Terry Tull, a member of the  LST-325 Memorial board of directors and a crew member of six years. “These are the ships Winston Churchill was waiting for the U.S. The ships were made during World War II to carry large amounts of battle-ready vehicles, cargo and troops.

Transas Hellas in collaboration with Transas Mediterranean SAS supplied the Naval Training Command of the Hellenic Navy with a Bridge Simulator. The bridge simulator covers the training needs of the HN/NTC (Hellenic Navy / Naval Training Command), regarding the training and practice of Hellenic Navy War Ships team as well as the HN personnel. The simulator also meets the standards of the IMO regulations. Additionally it has the ability to network with other simulators and will be able to expand and operate up to 16 bridges.

The Greek navy and coast guard were last night trying to tow to safety a Russian navy ship that sent out a distress signal in choppy seas off the eastern Aegean island of Icaria. Tugboats, helicopters and a navy frigate were dispatched to the area at 11.25 a.m. after the captain reported that engine failure had led to him losing control of the vessel. The ship was 15 nautical miles northeast of Icaria when the call for help was issued. The Merchant Marine Ministry said that, despite the gale force winds blowing in the area, the lives of the 106 people on board were not in any danger. A Greek navy frigate, the Bouboulina, was accompanying the Russian ship as a coast guard helicopter hovered overhead in case of an emergency. Source: Kathimerini

UK shipbuilder Vosper Thornycroft Holdings Plc, reporting a three percent rise in annual profits, said it would soon have an order book in excess $1.5 billion. Pre-tax profits before goodwill climbed to $53.7 million for the year to March 31, up from $52.6 million the year before, on turnover of $419.2 million. The results reflected a successful diversification strategy, Vosper said, in reference to its expansion into new markets and reduced dependence on large - but infrequent - warship contracts. Some 67 percent of its turnover is now unrelated to new ship contracts. In addition to building warships for the British Ministry of Defense, Vosper has developed a strong support services division, which now accounts for over 40 percent of group sales.

Greek engineering and metallurgy group Mytilineos is eyeing a majority stake in Hellenic Shipyards in an effort to penetrate further into Greece's defense industry, a company official said. "The group is interested in acquiring a 51 percent stake in Hellenic Shipyards at Skaramanga, however, this will depend on the terms to be set by the Greek government," Vangelis Mytilineos said. "The shipyard has liabilities of 100 billion drachmas and 2,200 employees. Last week, in an amendment to a draft bill presented to parliament, Greece allowed for ETBA Bank that owns 51 percent of the shipyard to reduce its stake, opening the way for its full privatization.

German industry is doing much to advance the development and application of fuel cell technology, and is responsible for many of the initiatives launched so far in the marine sector. Although skeptics in the commercial shipping domain discount the chances of a substantial uptake of fuel cell power aboard mercantile traders in the foreseeable future, there is a growing realization of the long-term possibilities offered by the technology, albeit in specialized areas. Use in auxiliary plant may hold out certain opportunities in some types of vessel. Minimal environmental impact, due to an absence of the noxious emissions produced by internal combustion engines…

A donation from EVAC Environmental firm will allow a World War II vessel that sailed 40 missions to France and England during WWII to sail again and serve as a museum ship for thousands of visitors across the country. The USS LST (Landing Ship Tank) 325, is one of only two WWII LST’s to be preserved in the United States. To bring it to standards that allow it to operate in U.S. waters, it must have a sewage treatment system on board. EVAC Environmental Solutions, 1260 Turret Dr., manufactures a marine sanitation device, called an ORCA, which treats sewage on board the vessel and discharges it overboard. The firm is donating the device to the USS LST 325, and on Thursday, August 15, 11:30 a.m., Capt.