The Units of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2) engaged in Cross Pollination (X-Poll) to strengthen the personal and professional relationships between the sailors.
Units from Canada, Germany, Spain and Turkey arranged for this meeting and each exchanged up to five sailors for the following days at sea. In addition, sailors from the last X-Poll were recovered from their host ships.
The vessels are currently operating under the mandate of NATO Article V counter-terrorism Operation ACTIVE ENDEAVOUR.
X-Polls are usually conducted before leaving ports prior to short at-sea periods. However, when possible and if it can be accommodated during operations, the units close one another and launch their speedboats for personnel exchange.
Image: MARCOM