The Situation In The Eastern Mediterranean (Part 10)

22 May 2013 4 Comments

There are a lot of things going on in the Eastern Mediterranean lately.

First: The Russians are here. The long, west bound voyage of the Russian Pacific Fleet task force has ended. The ships have arrived in the Med and are in Cyprus for a well deserved rest.The Udaloy class destroyer Admiral Panteleyev, the Dubna class tanker Pechenga and the Baklazhan class tug Fotiy Krylov docked in Limassol Cyprus while the Rophucha class landing ships Peresvet and Admiral Nevelskoi remained on the high seas.

Τhree Russian warships from the Pacific fleet docked at Limassol port this morning, in the first such exit from the Suez canal in decades. The destroyer Admiral Panteleyev is 165 metres long and the tanker Pechenga 130 meters, accompanied by the support vessel Fotiy Krylov.

Two other amphibian vessels are also in the Mediterranean but no docking license has been requested from Cyprus. The three warships sailed from their base in Vladivostok on March 19 and will remain docked for three days for refuelling and personnel rest.

The other warships of the other fleets are active too. The Black Sea Fleet, large landing ship Azov has conducted a training with the North Fleet destroyer Severomorks in the Aegean.

In the central Aegean large anti ship Northern Fleet “Severomorsk” and large landing ship BSF “Azov” trained to test the interaction on the performance of common tasks. Ships the joint maneuvers performed and conducted training of communications and radio communications. At the same time, studies have been conducted with the struggle for survival and a number of measures of search and rescue support.

Click here for photos of Admiral Panteleyev in Limasol.

Second: Cyprus realized that it needs some kind of a navy at least to police its off shore gas and oil drilling rigs and wells. For this they will need some OPV’s with good duration and sea keeping as their mission will be old fashioned constabulary work on the high seas.

Buy two warships offshore to enhance shortly Navy Command of the National Guard for surveillance purposes Cypriot EEZ, announces the Cypriot Defence Minister Fotis Fotiou, in an interview with the newspaper “Politis”. 

The minister states that it can not proceed with its investigation and excavation of hydrocarbons, although there are no safety requirements. 

Also notes that despite the difficult economic situation, we find ways of strengthening the defense capability of the Republic, while promoting and creating strategic alliances with several countries, particularly Israel, because of common interests in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Two years ago Greece wanted to hand over 3 newly decommissioned  Votsis (La Combatante IIA or Type 148 ) class fast attack craft to Cyprus for EEZ surveillance and protection of natural gas reserves in the region. But Cyprus declined this offer as the offered vessels were not in a good condition.  Their new political ally Israel offered the brand new Saar S-72 class. Interestingly the Israeli navy also needs some cheap ships with good sea keeping in order to police their off shore assess. So may be the Cyprus will be the next customer for Israeli warships.

The design of a new mini-corvette presented by Israel Shipyards during the international exhibition naval systems IMDEX 2013 held in Singapore from 14 to 16 May 2013.

The new mini-corvette called Saar S-72 and is essentially a design evolution of rocket type vessels Saar (Saar 4, 4.5 and 5). Developed with the primary purpose of satisfying the requirements of maritime patrol and surveillance of exclusive economic zones, both Israel and other countries.

Noting that the situation Israel Shipyards developed the mini-corvette Saar S-72 which puts inline between Saar 4.5 and Saar 5. As for the coastguard forces or civilian missions the same design (800 tons displacement) is offered as a patrol offshore Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV)

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The Situation In The Eastern Mediterranean (Part 9)

1 May 2013 Leave a comment

Ropucha class large landing ship 151 Azov on her northbound passage through Bosphorus

Ropucha class large landing ship 151 Azov is the first Russian ship to ever visit Israel.  This photo shows her during one of many recent passages through Bosphorus.

The Russian Defence Ministry announced that the large landing ship 154 Azov will be the first ship ever to visit Israel. The ship will be in Haifa, Israel between 1 and 3 May 2013.

A Russian naval ship will visit Israel for the first time in the country’s history, the Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.

The Azov, a Ropucha II-class landing ship from Russia’s Black Sea Fleet, will call at the port of Haifa from May 1-3, the ministry’s press service said.

The visit is timed to coincide with the 68th anniversary of the Allied victory in World War II, a press service representative said.

“The visit is the initiative of veteran organizations in Israel,” he added.

The program of the visit includes performances by the Black Sea Fleet orchestra for Israeli war veterans and Haifa residents. The warship will also be open to the public for visits.

A reception on board the Azov will be organized for World War II veterans living in Israel.

This is an interesting move from Russia. In March Russian warships Kaliningrad, Alexander Shabalin and Yaruslav Mudryy. made a visit in Beirut. It seems as if Russia is looking for an alternative port for its Mediterranean fleet if Tartous should become inhospitable.

Israeli officials on board INS Rahav Photo: Israeli Defense Ministry via The Times Of Israel

Israeli officials on board INS Rahav Photo: Israeli Defense Ministry via The Times Of Israel

Last week Israeli Navy received its fifth Dolphin class submarine INS Rahav in Kiel Germany. The Dolphin class submarines are one of the most advanced conventional submarines in the world.

The submarine – called the INS Rahav – is the most expensive defense platform ever purchased by Israel. The vessel is set to undertake several long-range classified missions that are critical for Israel’s security.

The submarine is viewed by the navy as an important “force multiplier” that will enable Israel to cope with threats in the increasingly unstable Middle East region.

According to foreign reports, the navy’s Dolphins also provide Israel with nuclear second-strike capabilities, as they can travel far from Israel’s territorial waters and are reportedly able to carry long-range cruise missiles tipped with nuclear warheads.

The latest Dolphin-class subs can remain submerged longer than their predecessors.

The INS Rahav, together with the INS Tanin – the fourth Dolphin sub, delivered to Israel in 2012 – and the sixth sub, which is still being built, will cost a total of some 1.4 billion Euro ($1.8 billion). The German government is reportedly covering a third of the cost.

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The Situation In The Eastern Mediterranean (Part 8)

18 Apr 2013 4 Comments

D-615 FS jean Bart with a Cypriot helicopter. From last years exercise. Photo: Cypriot Defence Ministry

D-615 FS Jean Bart with a Cypriot helicopter. From last years exercise. Photo: Cypriot Defence Ministry

The Russian ship movements have stolen the show from the actions in Eastern Mediterranean. So it is time again to focus to that region.

Today between 9.00 and 13:00 the French Navy conducted a search and rescue exercise with Cyprus. The Cassard class, destroyer D-615 FS Jean Bart took part in the exercise. From Cyprus two AW -139 helicopters of the National Guard and the Police as well as a Navy vessel and a patrol boat have taken part, including the medical unit of the Larnaca Civil Defence rescue team, according to Farmagusta Gazette.

The French destroyer is scheduled to conduct a port visit in Novorossiysk from 23 to 26 April. Thus I believe she is heading north as you are reading this post.

I didn’t realized that Jean Bart went through a modernization process similar to Turkish MEKO 200 class frigates. The original French radar DRBJ 11B was replaced by 3D Smart-S Mk2.

Next week there will be another search and rescue exercise roughly in the same area.

The Ministry of Defense in Cyprus announced that in the context of the cooperation between the Republic of Cyprus and the State of Israel in matters of search and rescue within the Exclusive Economic Zone and the areas of responsibility for search and rescue of the two countries, a joint search and rescue exercise will take place on April 23.

The exercise will be carried out in a marine area southwest of the Cypriot city of Limassol.

On the Cypriot side, patrol vessels of the Cyprus Port and Marine Police and of the Cyprus Navy, search and rescue helicopters of the Police and the Aviation of Cyprus, as well as the Medical Rescue Teams of the Cyprus Civil Defense and of the Medical and Nursing Services will participate in the exercise.

On the side of Israel, five ships of the Israeli Navy will participate in the exercise.

The exercise has been planned by a joint design team and is coordinated by the Search and Rescue Center in Larnaca, in cooperation with its counterpart in Haifa

I am glad to see that despite the recent economical troubles,  Cyprus can find  the needed resources to conduct these exercises. 

Filed under Cyprus, Exercise, Mediterranean Tagged with ,

Russia Sends Pacific Fleet Warships To Syria

7 Apr 2013 1 Comment

The Russians are really stretching their forces and their lines of communication to help a friend in need. The Syrian president Mr. Assad needs Russian protection and weapons to exist. And Russia is using every available means to support him even this support means to dispatch a group of warships from the other half of the earth.

The Russian Defence Ministry announced on 5th April 2013 Friday that a unit of Pacific Fleet ships are on their way to the Mediterranean in compliance with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu’s decision on keeping a permanent naval group in this region.

At the present time, a unit including the Admiral Panteleyev anti-submarine ship, the Peresvet and the Admiral Nevelskoi landing ships, the Pechenga tanker, and the Fotiy Krylov rescue towboat has left the South China Sea. The unit currently keeps moving toward the Suez Canal, which it plans to pass through in mid-May this year,” the ministry said. The cruise plan envisions calls at foreign ports for replenishing the stocks and rest time for the crew, it said.

It is not clear when the Russian task force composed of 6 ships left their home base in Vladivostok. But I assume it was shortly after the announcement of the decision to send Russian ships to the Mediterranean on March 11 by Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu. The ships are expected to pass the Suez Canal in mid May. The task force passed the Strait of Malacca and entered the Indian Ocean, a Pacific Fleet spokesman told RIA Novosti on Saturday. The amphibious ships of the task force are carrying unspecified cargo which will be unloaded at Tartus Syria, when the Russian ships will conduct a port visit.

It is absolutely a very long deployment and an excellent show of flag and solidarity with Assad from the Russian side. But with out doubt this deployment will take a considerable toll on the equipment and the crew.

The deployment of the Pacific Fleets ships to the Mediterranean means:

  • The ships of the Black Sea and Baltic fleets, especially the large landing ships of Alligator and Ropucha class are exhausted from their commuting between Russia and Syria since December 2012 and are currently unavailable
  • The unspecified cargo the amphibious ships are transporting cannot be carried by civilian ships
  • Russia will do its uttermost to keep Assad in place
  • These ships will not pass through the Turkish Straits and I won’t be able to take photos of them

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Russian Warships In Beirut

15 Mar 2013 1 Comment

The Russian landing ships Kaliningrad and Alexander Shabalin in Beirut. Photo: almayadeen.com

The port of Beirut is filled to the brim with foreign warships.

According to Lebanese almayadeen TV there are three Russian warships in Beirut.

The Ropucha class, large landing ships Kaliningrad, Alexander Shabalin and Neustrashimy class frigate Yaruslav Mudryy. All three warships belong to the Russian Baltic Fleet and are conducting a 3 day port visit. When they leave they will head to Tartus Syria.

Osman

The Bangladeshi frigate Osman. Photo: almayadeen.com

What the announcer on the TV fails to tell but is visible on the clip is the fourth warship in the background.

This is the Bangladeshi frigate Osman. She is part of the UNIFIL. The Blue UN flag on the main mast and the Bangladeshi flag in the jack staff clearly distinguishes her from the Russians.

And here is the photo of Yaruslav Mudryy.

beirut1

Photo: tayyar.org

 

 

And this is the clip from the Lebanese Almayadeen TV.

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Italian Carrier Cavour Arrived In Marmaris

9 Feb 2013 Leave a comment

Italian aircraft carrier ITS C-550 Cavour in Marmaris.

Italian aircraft carrier ITS C-550 Cavour in Marmaris. Photos: haber7.com

The Italian aircraft carrier C-550 ITS Cavour arrived in Marmaris as planned, today.

The Italian task force commanded by Rear Admiral Carlo Massagli, consists of carrier ITS C-550 Cavour, destroyer D-554 ITS Calio Dulio and the fleet tanker A-5327 ITS Stromboli.

The destroyer and the tanker have docked at the Aksaz Naval Base adjacent to the touristic town of Marmaris. The highly visible aircraft carrier however docked at the port in Marmaris usually used by large passenger ships.

According to Wikipedia, Cavour was laid down by Fincantieri on 17 July 2001, and she was launched from the RivaTrigoso shipyard in SestriLevante, on 20 July 2004.

The ship is designed to combine fixed wing V/STOL and helicopter air operations, command and control operations and the transport of military or civil personnel and heavy vehicles. The 134 metre, 2,800 m2 hangar space can double as a vehicle hold capable of holding up to 24 main battle tanks  or many more lighter vehicles, and is fitted aft with access ramps rated to 70 tons, as well as two elevators rated up to 30 tons for aircraft. Cavour can also operate as Landing Platform Helicopter (LPH), accommodating heavy transport helicopters and 325 marines.

The ship is armed with following weapons:

  • 4 × 8 cell A-43 Sylver launchers carrying the MBDA Aster 15 surface to air missile
  • 2 × Oto Melara 76/62 mm Super Rapido gun
  • 3 × Oerlikon Contraves25/80 mm AA gun

The Italian ships will stay in Marmaris until 12th February 2013.

Click here for the video of Cavour in Marmaris.

Click here for more photos.

cavour2

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The Russian Naval Exercise In Mediterranean Has Ended

3 Feb 2013 1 Comment

According to Russian naval news portal rusnavy.com  the largest Russian naval exercise in recent years has finally ended and the ships started to return to their home bases.

Largest for last ten years inter-fleet training exercises of Russian Navy with the participation of Baltic, Northern, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets in the Eastern part of the Mediterranean Sea are nearing completion, as reported by representative of the Black Sea Fleet Captain of the 1 st Rank Vyacheslav Truhachev. 

After the end of the manoeuvres the group of Russain Navy warships was divided into several surface combatant squadrons. ‘Today in the evening warships of the Black Sea Fleet will moor to Limassol, Cyprus, for water and fueling replenishment’, Vyacheslav Truhachev said, as ITAR-TASS reported. 

Conducted exercises started on January, 19 in the Black and the Mediterranean Seas water areas. The inter-fleet group comprises the warships from the North, Baltic, Black Sea and Pacific Fleets: a guided missile cruiser Moskva, a large ASW ship Severomorsk, guard ships Smetlivy and Yaroslav Mudry, large landing ships Saratov, Azov,Kaliningrad, Alexandr Shabalin and service ships, long-range aviation and the fourth Air Force/Air Defense command. 

The main goal of the exercises is to practice the formation of a combined group of forces outside of the Russian Federation, plan its use and perform joint operations within a Navy group under the common plan.

 

The following warships are in the Eastern Mediterranean according to my tally:

Slava class cruiser Mosvka,
Kashin class destroyer Smetliy,
Udaloy class destroyer Severomorsk,
Alligator class landing ship Saratov,
Amur class repair ship, PM-56,
Boris Chilkin class tanker Ivan Bubnov,
Uda class tanker Lena,
Neustrashimyy class frigate Yaroslav Mudryy,
Sliva class tug SB-921,
Ropucha class landing ship Azov.

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Regular Shipping Service Between Turkey And Israel Has Started

23 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

The Turkish shipping company Sisa Shipping started a regular Ro/Ro service between İskenderun Turkey and -wait for it- Haifa Israel this week.

The first voyage of the Ro/Ro Nissos Rodos started on 20th November. According to the Sisa Shipping the voyage will last only 12 hours. This is the first regular shipping service between to the two countries. I guess it is very much understandable why the company uses a chartered Greek ship for this trip.

The timing of the first voyage -during the hostilities between Israel and  Gaza-  shows that there is a huge gap between the political rhetoric and economical realities.

 

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Smetlivy Left Italy after Repairs

22 Nov 2012 Leave a comment

According to Russian website Rusnavy.com, the Russian destroyer Smetlivy left Italy.

She was in the Mediterranean Sea to take part in the joint Russo-Italian naval exercise IONIEX-2012.  Smetlivy apparently suffered a problem with her fuel system so that it was necessary to repair her in Taranto naval base. She will join other Russian ships already in the Mediterranean and they will altogether sail to Gulf of Aden to combat piracy.

It was earlier said that one of oil pump blocks was broken down on BSF destroyer Smetlivy that had called at Italian port Taranto after completion of the IONIEX-2012 joint naval exercise. The ship’s commanding staff decided to ask Italian partners to help. 

In order to eliminate the failure found in the Russian destroyer, Italian Navy’s workshops made the needed parts in a day. When the crew had finished all repair works, Smetlivy departed from Taranto in the evening of Nov 13 and is currently heading for assigned zone in the Mediterranean Sea. 

BSF task group consisting of Guards missile cruiser Moskva, landing ship Saratov, and replenishment tanker Ivan Bubnov is performing combat training tasks in the East Mediterranean. 

The ships are holding joint tactical drills practicing short-range antisubmarine and antiaircraft warfare. It is planned to conduct watch officer drills, train signalmen and radar operators, and carry out damage control drills. 

The task group will be soon reinforced by BSF landing ship Novocherkassk which is to pass the Black Sea Straits in the next few days. 

Late in Nov, the task group will pass the Suez Canal and start anti-piracy mission near the Horn of Africa early in Dec, reports Russian defense ministry

 

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Turkish and Egyptian Navies Will Exercise In Eastern Mediterranean Next Week

5 Oct 2012 3 Comments

Turkish Navy announced that Turkish and Egyptian navies are gong to conduct a joint exercise between 7th and 14th October 2012 in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The Exercise Sea of Friendship (Bahr El Sadaka) will be hosted by Egypt. Following Turkish naval units will take part in the exercise: Two frigates, two fast attack craft, one replenishment tanker, two landing ship, one marine infantry company, two helicopters and one special forces team. There is no information about the participating units from Egyptian side.

The timing and the location of this exercise is very note worthy. But this exercise was usually held in autumn. The addition of two LST’s and one marine infantry company are also very interesting additions to this years order of battle.

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