German frigate returns to sea after repairs in Greece

German Navy frigate FGS Brandenburg has completed repairs and returned to sea following a grounding incident in Greece, in April this year.

The frigate ran aground on the morning of April 17 while departing the port of Piraeus, Greece.

FGS Brandenburg collided with a jetty and damaged her rudder and both propellers and was only partially operational.

At the time of the incident, the German Navy frigate was the flagship of NATO’s Standing Maritime Group 2. The frigate’s sensor role had to be filled by the crew of German minehunter FGS Rottweil who are now likely to head home returning from a five-month deployment to NATO’s SNMCMG2.

Meanwhile, FGS Brandenburg is expected to return to her current mission of SNMG2 flagship with latest AIS data showing the ship off the coast of Turkey in the vicinity of Izmir.

#NATO #SNMG2 flagship FGS Brandenburg F215 is back in #Chios Strait east #Aegean Sea after a month in dry dock at #Pireaus for repairs pic.twitter.com/NzE6aUpPdA

— AegeanHawk (@AegeanHawk) May 23, 2017

SNMG2 ships are tasked with monitoring and patroling the Aegean Sea off the Turkish coast and to report all migrant boats leaving the Turkish coasts for Europe.

Another goal of the Aegean Sea mission is an increase in the cooperation between the European border agency Frontex and the maritime authorities of Turkey and Greece. By doing so, NATO hopes to curb the migration flow and smuggling activities in the Aegean Sea.