In a Royal Australian Navy first, HMAS Success was recently assigned to a NATO counter-piracy operation in Middle Eastern waters.
Operation OCEAN SHIELD is a NATO-led counter piracy mission in the Gulf of Aden and off the Horn of Africa that is tasked with providing Naval escort and deterring piracy with the goal of increasing general security in the region.
Commanding Officer HMAS Success Captain Justin Jones said the two week multi-national exercise ranked as a highlight for the ship’s company.
Under the NATO flag, Success focused on counter-piracy, conducting operations such as surveillance, collecting ‘patterns of life’ information and using its Seahawk helicopter in surface searches and replenishment at sea evolutions.
Success also hosted a NATO Liaison Officer from the Royal Danish Navy.
As Chief of Staff – Standing NATO Maritime Group 1, Commander Jens Bjornsteen provided additional awareness while on operations.
Commander Bjornsteen reinforced the capability that Success brought to the operation in support of ongoing initiatives in the region.
This operation is important to all nations that have merchant ships in the area as it protects their interests against piracy.
Success has been on deployment in the Middle East Region as part of Operation MANITOU, the Australian Defence Force’s contribution to maritime security, counter-piracy and counter terrorism in Middle Eastern waters since December 2014.
Image: Australian Navy