Portuguese Navy patrol vessel NRP Sines visits South Africa
There was a time when the old Portuguese Empire encompassed colonies in both West Africa and East Africa. In terms of South African engagement,...
Mounting maritime security threat in Strait of Hormuz
The Strait of Hormuz, one of the world’s most critical shipping chokepoints, is facing renewed instability amid rising geopolitical tensions in the Middle East.
According...
Three SA Navy ships to mark World Hydrographic Day
The SA Navy (SAN) will on Saturday 21 June, along with the international hydrographic community, mark World Hydrography Day in East London with two...
Secrecy around SAS Manthatisi board of inquiry report questioned
Nineteen months after the SA Navy (SAN) lost three submariners in a bad weather incident off Kommetjie in the Western Cape, the Board of...
Securing the western Indian Ocean
This week saw European Union (EU) naval assets work alongside Indian Navy platforms during a three-day exercise with the emphasis on enhancing and improving...
Naval auxiliary vessel RFA Tidespring visits Cape Town
On 18 May, at 20:00 in the early evening, the British Naval Auxiliary vessel RFA Tidespring (IMO 9655535) arrived off Cape Town, at the...
Navantia launches Moroccan offshore patrol vessel
Spanish shipbuilder Navantia has launched a new offshore patrol vessel (OPV) for the Royal Moroccan Navy, with delivery scheduled for 2026.
The Avante 1800 vessel...
Nigerian Navy commissions new ships and helicopters on 69th anniversary
The Nigerian Navy marked its 69th anniversary on 31 May by commissioning three patrol vessels and three AW109 Trekker helicopters at a ceremony held...
Royal Navy, New Zealand-led task force intercept $36 million drug haul in Arabian Sea
In a major maritime security operation, the Royal Navy frigate HMS Lancaster, operating under the New Zealand-led Combined Task Force 150 (CTF 150), has...
Colonial-era borders create conflict in Africa’s oceans – how to resolve them
Africa has 38 coastal and island nations. Their maritime industries – including energy, tourism, maritime transport, shipping and fishing – play a crucial role...
India and South Africa wrap up first joint submarine training programme
Simon’s Town, home port to the SA Navy (SAN) submarine component, hosted the first joint operational sea training (OST) for underwater craft with India...
Geopolitical tensions lead to increasing risks for shipping sector globally
The fast-changing geopolitical landscape is creating new risks and challenges for a shipping industry already juggling the energy transition and the legacy of the...
Tunisia receives patrol boats to bolster maritime security operations
Tunisia has received two 34-metre Island-class patrol boats from the United States government to increase the country’s ability to secure its 1 148-kilometer coastline,...
Exercise Obangame Express 2025 concludes in Cabo Verde
Thirty African nations on 16 May wrapped up two weeks of intense training during Exercise Obangame Express 2025 (OE25), strengthening regional collaboration and reaffirming...
Singapore Strait tops piracy board in 2025 first quarter
The Gulf of Guinea, long regarded as the international piracy hotspot, was overtaken in the first quarter of the year by the Singapore Strait.
The...
Military sealift vessel Eddystone visits South Africa
On 25 April the military sealift vessel Eddystone (IMO 9234070) arrived off Cape Town, from Gibraltar. She entered Cape Town harbour, proceeding into the...
Port Sudan under siege: Drone strikes disrupt key maritime hub
In a significant escalation of Sudan’s ongoing civil conflict, the strategic Red Sea port city of Port Sudan has come under sustained drone attacks,...
Red Sea ceasefire offers diplomatic hope — but maritime risk remains high
A newly announced ceasefire in the Red Sea region marks a step forward in diplomacy, but shipping risk remains elevated, warns maritime intelligence firm...
Three vessels later Damen Shipyards Cape Town ready, willing and able to do more...
The late April delivery of the third multi-mission inshore patrol vessel (MMIPV) for the SA Navy (SAN) was not only the culmination of a...
USS Mount Whitney visits Libya
The United States Navy recently sailed the centerpiece of its 6th Fleet into two Libyan ports, the latest in a series of engagements to...
“Sensitivity” sees back-to-back naval events in Durban
The flurry of naval activity on and around Salisbury Island in the Port of Durban last week was ascribed to “respect” and “sensitivity” by...
South African Navy commissions second MMIPV and names third as SAS Adam Kok III
The South African Navy has officially named its third and final Multi-Mission Inshore Patrol Vessel (MMIPV), SAS Adam Kok III, in a ceremony at...
Third MMIPV standing by to enter SA Navy inventory
Come Friday 25 April, the coastal patrol fleet renewal programme of the SA Navy (SAN) will be complete with the commissioning of SAS Adam...
Western Indian Ocean naval ties strengthened
While the inaugural Africa/India Key Maritime Engagement (Aikeyme) was underway last week off Tanzania, another component of maritime defence diplomacy played out in India...
From Drakensberg to drones: Rethinking South Africa’s naval capabilities
If one of South Africa’s new Multi Mission Inshore Patrol Vessels (MMIPVs) was to set sail at the tip of the country’s western most...
Inaugural Africa India Key Maritime Engagement underway off Tanzania
The inaugural Africa-India Key Maritime Engagement (Aikeyme) exercise between India and multiple African countries is underway off Tanzania, with the sea phase kicking off...
INSV Tarini departs Cape Town for final leg of round the world voyage
The Indian Navy Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini on Tuesday 15 April departed the Royal Cape Yacht Club (RCYC) in Cape Town for the final...
Italian Navy frigate Luigi Rizzo bolsters Mozambique ties with port call and new agreements
On 8 April, the Italian Navy frigate Luigi Rizzo F595 docked in Maputo for a four-day visit, marking a significant moment in Italy-Mozambique relations.
The...
Renewal of the SANDF essential for national security amid critical decline – Legoete
The South African National Defence Force (SANDF) is in critical decline due to chronic underfunding and outdated technology, and requires urgent renewal.
This is according...
Ramaphosa extends Operation Copper maritime security deployment
President Cyril Ramaphosa in his capacity as Commander-in-Chief of the SA National Defence Force (SANDF) has authorised a year-long extension to a Southern African...
Female Indian Navy officers engage with SA community in Cape Town
Two female Indian Navy officers, currently on their fourth and final stopover as part of their Navika Sagar Parikrama II (NSP II) global circumnavigation...
SANHO/UK Hydrographic Office collaborate to boost navigation safety
South Africa and the United Kingdom, via the hydrographic offices of their respective navies, furthered a longstanding relationship with the signing of an implementation...
Red Sea mission marks new era in naval surveillance for Combined Maritime Forces
In a landmark operation, Combined Maritime Forces (CMF 153) has completed its first sustained uncrewed surveillance mission in the Red Sea, deploying four uncrewed...
US Navy vessel conducts quick port visit in Cape Town
The cold winds blowing between the United States and South Africa temporally thawed a little this past weekend when the United States Navy's Military...
Indian Navy seizes 2.5 tons of drugs in the western Indian Ocean
The Indian Navy’s Talwar class frigate INS Tarkash has seized more than 2 500 kilograms of narcotics in the western Indian Ocean while deployed as...
Indian Navy sailing vessel arrives in Cape Town on round-the-world trip
The Indian Naval Sailing Vessel (INSV) Tarini has successfully docked in Cape Town, marking the completion of the fourth leg of the Navika Sagar...
Many obstacles remain for Russian naval base in Sudan
After years of on-again, off-again negotiations, Sudan has agreed to let Russia establish its first naval base on the continent along the war-torn country’s...
EU/India naval dialogue ahead of Africa/India NAVEX
Indian capital New Delhi earlier in March hosted the fourth maritime security dialogue between the sub-continental powerhouse and the European Union (EU).
On the agenda...
Six tons of cocaine seized off Guinea
The seizure of over six tons of cocaine from a fishing vessel in international waters off the Gulf of Guinea earlier in March was...
Indian Navy to hold multinational exercise with African nations in April
The Indian Navy will next month hold an inaugural multinational naval exercise with ten African nations, including South Africa, off the coast of Tanzania...
Royal Navy seizes £5.4 million worth of drugs in Middle East bust
The Royal Navy has delivered a major blow to the global drug trade after the frigate HMS Lancaster intercepted and seized £5.4 million worth...
Hijacked Yemeni-flagged fishing boat released by Somali pirates
The Yemeni-flagged fishing dhow Al-Hidaya has been released by Somali pirates after being held for a week.
The European Union Naval Force’s Operation Atalanta said...
Unmanned surface vessels and their role in African maritime security
Unmanned surface vessels (USVs) have emerged as a transformative technology in modern naval warfare, offering a cost-effective solution to maritime challenges. Ukraine's pioneering use...
EU extends Operation Irini mandate
Operation Irini, the European Union (EU) Mediterranean Sea task force keeping a weather eye – and more – on breaches of the United Nations...
Suspected pirate attack on Yemeni-flagged fishing boat off Puntland coast
A suspected piracy-related incident involving a Yemeni-flagged fishing vessel occurred on 16 March off the coast of Durdura, near Eyl, in northern Puntland, Somalia....
Non-conventional but increasingly sophisticated maritime threats will persist in Africa
A naval war between African states is unlikely. Rather, the primary maritime security threat is from non-state actors using increasingly sophisticated technology like unmanned...
SA Navy frigate wraps two-month maritime protection tasking
SAS Amatola (F145) completed a seven-week Operation Corona maritime tasking which saw a diversion to Durban to pay South African naval respects to the...
New Milkor naval vessels take shape
Milkor has made significant strides in expanding its presence across all spheres of defence and security. This was particularly evident at the IDEX and...
Public-private partnerships are key for enhanced maritime security – Vreÿ
As Africa’s maritime security landscape grows increasingly complex, governments, academics, and private sector stakeholders must join forces to develop innovative solutions to deal with...
Somali pirates release Yemeni fishing boat
Somali pirates who hijacked the Yemeni-flagged fishing boat Saytuun-2 last week have released the vessel after stealing crew belongings.
The Saytuun-2 was captured off Garmaal...
