TCG Erdek Participates In Spanish Minex

M-263 TCG Erdek.

The Engin class mine hunter of Turkish Navy, M-263 TCG Erdek is taking part in exercise Spanish Minex. Organised by Spanish Navy the exercise has started on today and will end on 22 September.

TCG Erdek is currently assigned to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group TWO (SNMCMG2).

These are advanced exercises taking place off the coast of Alicante and Cartagena, and whose main novelty with respect to previous years that are focused on response operations in crisis situations, in which time plays a crucial role.

This was stated at a press conference the captain and commander of the force navy Contraminas measures, Jaime Golmayo, leading the exercise, with the participation of NATO.

This exercise has a previous phase, which is currently underway, and is placed on the coast from Cabo de Palos to Torrevieja, around 65 artifacts that simulate the mines, and to be completely safe, with no explosive charge and harmless to the environment and marine life.

From 11 to 13 September will conduct a training phase and integration of forces engaged, and from 14 to 19 will be the tactical phase, in which all means will be used to search, locate, classify, identify and simulate neutralization of artifacts.

Among the exercises that will be conducted, one Golmayo highlighted neutralization drifting mines, more complex than in the case of mines at fixed points.

All operations are carried out in a fictional scenario in which a crisis occurs a country ruled by a dictatorship and democratic country.

Finally, on 21 and 22 September collecting all the artifacts that have been left in the area will be made, and will be used to clean the seabed of the used area.

In total will participate in exercises over 500 military Spain, Germany, France, Turkey, Greece, Belgium, Italy and the UK.

This is the list of the participating ships: