Royal Navy Teams Up With Dutch Authorities For Simulated North Sea Hostage Rescue

Pilots from the Royal Navy have honed their hostage-rescue skills alongside Dutch police in a joint operation staged in the North Sea.

Flyers from Commando Helicopter Force’s 846 Naval Air Squadron teamed up with the Royal Netherlands Marine Corps and the Dutch Police Aviation Support Unit for the training, which was based out of Schiphol International Airport in Amsterdam.

As per a recent Royal Navy press statement, the exercises included two boarding operations which simulated rescuing hostages from Dutch coastguard vessel Barend Biesheuvel, which in the scenario had been taken over by hostile forces.

The Merlin helicopters launched from the busy commercial airport, negotiating safely around the many flights coming in and out of its six runways. With Dutch Police AW139 helicopters looking on, they hovered as assault troops fast-roped onto the deck of the coastguard vessel to carry out the rescue.

Lieutenant Commander David Houghton-Barnes of 846 NAS commented: “Training with our NATO allies is always invaluable, as we get to see a familiar challenge tackled in a different way.”

He added: “Fast-roping to a moving ship is a demanding task, and it was impressive to see everyone working together to safely interdict the target vessel. 

“Most importantly, it reinforced our lasting friendships across the Channel so we can continue to learn from each other and collectively keep our sea lanes safe.”

• You can read more details on the Royal Navy website