The Persian Gulf and nearby areas

[Pelican]

Russia, China and Iran Finish Drills in Gulf of Oman

Russia, China and Iran completed the at-sea phase of the Sea Security Belt 2024 exercise on Thursday near the Gulf of Oman and carried out a shore phase along with a debriefing in the Iranian city of Chabahar, with the drills scheduled to end on Friday.

The drills formally began on Monday with the arrival of Russian and Chinese ships to Chabahar. The ships then departed on Tuesday to begin the at-sea phase of the exercise.

The exercise is the sixth iteration of one that began in 2018. This year’s iteration is the first to allow observers from other countries, namely Pakistan, Kazakhstan, Azerbaijan, Oman, India and South Africa.

Continues at - https://news.usni.org/2024/03/14/russia ... lf-of-oman

[Pelican]

Intelschizo reposted
I. Cox
The Indian Navy pulled off a big one...1400 NM from India.
Somalian pirates fully captured!


Spokesperson Navy indian navy
INS Kolkata, in the last 40 hours, through concerted actions successfully cornered and coerced all 35 Pirates to surrender & ensured safe evacuation of 17 crew members in the evening today 16 Mar 24 from the pirate vessel without any injury.
INSKolkata had carried out the interception of the Pirate Ship Ruen almost 1400 nm (2600km) from the Indian Coast, and forced the pirate ship to stop through calibrated actions which were augmented by INS Subhadra, HALE RPA, P8I maritime patrol aircraft & MARCOS PRAHARs air-dropped by C-17 aircraft.
The vessel has also been sanitised for presence of illegal arms, ammunition and contraband.

[Pelican]

SpokespersonNavy@indiannavy
The culmination of the #AntiPiracy operation involving pirate ship Ruen in the Southern #IOR highlights the commitment of the #IndianNavy towards reinforcing peace & stability, & also to thwart the resurgence of Piracy in the region.
See - https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1 ... 2335840579 - For 4 short videos which can be viewed on 'full screen' by clicking on them.

[Pelican]

British minehunting drone team mark one year in Gulf

The team responsible for introducing autonomous minehunting into front-line operations in the Gulf has successfully completed its first 12 months.
The Mine and Threat Exploitation Group’s Operational Evaluation Unit has spent the past year in the Middle East testing a series of uncrewed and remote-piloted systems which will one day be the future of minehunting in the Royal Navy.

“Working with Royal Navy Motor Boat Harrier and based on RFA Cardigan Bay, the team have put various pieces of equipment and technology through their paces to see how they operate and react to the climate of the Gulf and the complex missions current minehunting units carry out.

Harrier is capable of operating both autonomously (pre-programmed to conduct a mission) or remotely from a ship or shore-based remote-control centre. She tows a side-scan sonar behind her to look for mines on the seabed, alerting units ashore or at sea of their whereabouts.

As part of the trials she has also been working with remotely-operated underwater vehicles and a minesweeping system. In a fruitful first year for the Operational Evaluation Unit, the team has integrated and deployed Harrier from Cardigan Bay, a shore control base at the UK Naval Support Facility in Bahrain and Sandown and Hunt-class minehunters.”

You can read more on this from the Royal Navy here:
https://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/news-and-l ... n-the-gulf

[Pelican]

Somali Forces and Foreign Navies Preparing Attack on Hijacked Ship, Police Say

GAROWE, Somalia, March 18 (Reuters) – Somali police and international navies were preparing on Monday to attack a commercial ship that was hijacked by pirates last week, the Puntland region’s police force said, two days after Indian commandos rescued another cargo vessel held by pirates.

The MV Abdullah was hijacked off the coast of Somalia last week, the latest of more than 20 attacks since November by Somali pirates who had laid dormant for nearly a decade.

Continues at - https://gcaptain.com/somali-forces-and- ... olice-say/
Note links to other article at bottom of page.

[Pelican]

How the Royal Navy provides support to merchant shipping under threat around the world

The RN-led UK Maritime Trade Organisation (UKMTO) coordinates the flow of information around commercial shipping sailing in dangerous waters. Here we look at how this valuable service provides reassurance to mariners, improves safety of life at sea and helps reduce their risk of exposure to piracy or attack.

Background
The UKMTO is based at the Maritime Trade Information Centre (MTIC) on Portsdown Hill, just north of Portsmouth. It provides alerts and information that is available to merchant shipping of all nationalities in the Voluntary Reporting Area (VRA) which includes about 2.5 million square miles of the Red Sea, Indian Ocean and Persian Gulf. A second area covered by the organisation is the West African coast under the Maritime Domain Awareness for Trade in the Gulf of Guinea (MDAT-GOG) construct in cooperation with the French. UKMTO also maintains a small presence in Dubai, primarily liaising with ship owners and mariners in the region.

UKMTO reports to RN Commander Operations (COMOPS) with a Lt Cdr head of the organisation, who is also officially the ‘Crown representative’ for military-to-military liaison. This is an RN capability but delivered by civilian contractors, many of whom are ex-RN or formerly worked for the police or emergency services.

The organisation is politically neutral, it does not provide analysis and does not run naval operations. Its primary focus is the collection and dissemination of verified information that will help keep mariners safe. Ships’ masters and Company Security Officers (CSO) are encouraged to report what they observe in the VRA and can request assistance when needed.

Continues at - https://www.navylookout.com/how-the-roy ... the-world/

[Pelican]

Imposing Sanctions on Networks Supporting Iran’s Ballistic Missile, Defense, and Nuclear Programs

PRESS STATEMENT - https://www.state.gov/imposing-sanction ... -programs/

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SpokespersonNavy@indiannavy
The culmination of the #AntiPiracy operation involving pirate ship Ruen in the Southern #IOR highlights the commitment of the #IndianNavy towards reinforcing peace & stability, & also to thwart the resurgence of Piracy in the region.
See - https://twitter.com/indiannavy/status/1 ... 2335840579 - For 4 short videos which can be viewed on 'full screen' by clicking on them.

Intelschizo reposted
Sidhant Sibal
New video: Indian Navy's operation on MV Ruen against Somali pirates. 18 Indian Navy MARCOS commandos jumping with load from 6000 ft & later boarding the hijacked vessel.
https://twitter.com/sidhant/status/1771438114730586159
[Guts + Good training.]

[Pelican]

United Kingdom Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO)

UKMTO NOTICE Electronic Interference - Attached.

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HMS LANCASTER has intercepted two boats within 24 hours carrying total c£33 million worth of heroin, hashish and crystal meth.
Drugs were seized by the ship's boarding teams while operating in the Gulf of Oman.