Phoenix Express: Sailors Conduct Mock Mass Casualty Exercise

May 28, 2014

Phoenix Express 2014, a multinational maritime exercise between North African, European, and U.S. naval forces, which began its inport phase at the NATO Maritime Interdiction Operation Training Center (NMIOTC) in Souda Bay, May 13, is now in its underway operations phase in the central Mediterranean Sea.

Participating nations are practicing a wide range of skill sets during these operations which started on May 24 and will last until June 2.

The in-port phase of the exercise entails medical and maritime interdiction operations (MIO) training at NMIOTC, workshops in helicopter operations and safety, damage control and firefighting, deck seamanship, navigation, search and rescue (SAR), and small boat operations.

The exercises conducted so far were deploying a rope for a fast rope training exercise aboard the NMIOTC ship “Aris” during the pre sail phase of Phoenix Express 2014 from a Greek helicopter, stacking an Algerian boarding team member on the NMIOTC ship “Aris” after fast roping out of a Greek helicopter and a mock mass casualty exercise.

Countries participating in Phoenix Express 2014 include Algeria, Croatia, Greece, Italy, Libya, Malta, Morocco, Tunisia, Turkey and the United States.