NATO warships from various task groups have been paying visits to ports across Europe and beyond as part of ongoing efforts to maintain and strengthen ties with partner nations.
NATO warships HNLMS Johan de Witt and FGS Hamburg spent three days in Dublin earlier this month after conducting exercises involving Irish Naval Service vessels off the Irish coast.
The Dutch landing platform dock, currently the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) and the German frigate had joined ocean patrol vessel LE William Butler Yeats in a passing exercise.
As per a press statement from NATO’s Allied Maritime Command (MARCOM): “Together, the ships conducted manoeuvring and communication drills, demonstrating the high level of cooperation and interoperability between NATO members and partner country Ireland.”
While in Dublin a NATO reception was hosted aboard HNLMS Johan de Witt with the Ambassador of the Luxembourg Embassy in Ireland, and Commander SNMG1, Royal Netherlands Navy Commodore Arjen Warnaar paid a series of courtesy calls to further strengthen the bilateral relations between Ireland and the Alliance.
Meanwhile, ships of Standing NATO Maritime Group Two (SNMG2) have also been busy strengthening ties, this time much further south.
The warships, currently deployed in the eastern Mediterranean as part of Operation Noble Shield, completed a port visit to Alexandria, Egypt, in the middle of this month.
A MARCOM statement noted: “The visit underlines NATO’s commitment to regional partnership, with a focus on the southern flank, and reaffirms the Alliance’s dedication to maritime security, cooperation, and freedom of navigation in the Mediterranean Sea.”
The SNMG2 task group currently includes three frigates, Italian flagship ITS Carlo Bergamini, TCG Barbaros from Türkiye and HMCS St. John’s from Canada.
Visits such as this one are a cornerstone of NATO’s Mediterranean Dialogue, a long-standing partnership promoting cooperative regional security.
The statement noted: “Egypt has been an active partner in this dialogue for nearly three decades, contributing to NATO’s broader efforts to strengthen peace and regional resilience.”
After leaving, SNMG2 ships conducted a passing exercise with Egyptian Navy vessels, taking in asymmetric threat protection and manoeuvring drills.
Rear Admiral Francesco Iavazzo, Commander of SNMG2, commented: “Our visit to Alexandria reaffirmed the value of partnership and cooperation in ensuring peace and stability across the Mediterranean.”
- You can read more details about both visits on the MARCOM website