Category: Shipping

One last time HELGE INGSTAD

Three years after the sinking of the Norwegian frigate, the final questions have now been answered. As is so often the case, a chain of avoidable mistakes led to the disaster. The Norwegian 5400-tonne frigate HELGE INGSTAD was one of the Scandinavian kingdom's five major naval warships. It was built between 2006 and 2009, mainly at Navantia in northern Spain. The design was based on the Spanish type F 100 frigate, also known as the ÁLVARO DE BAZÁN. Construction number four of the FRIDTJOF NANSEN class collided with the Maltese 113,000-tonne tanker SOLA TS in Hjeltefjord, the northern entrance to Bergen, on 8 November 2018. The collision, which lasted for days,...

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Hunting for yachts

Russian oligarchs used to order their yachts in Germany. The sanctions are therefore also a heavy blow for the shipyards in this country. Some character traits are not part of what we generally think of as good behaviour: Voyeurism, schadenfreude, malice and envy fall into this category. But in view of Russia's war of aggression against Ukraine, we let the sometimes malicious reporting on the yachts of Russian oligarchs slide. Their sheer size, exorbitant prices and often unbridled luxury are fascinating. On the other hand, the owners' flaunted distance from the average citizen, their arrogance and decadence are rather off-putting. Not so long ago...

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White visit for the 500th birthday

To mark the 500th anniversary of the Royal Swedish Navy, its training sailing ships Falken and Gladan visited the Hanseatic city of Lübeck on Ascension Day. The Nordic country bought its first ten warships here in 1522. Sea battles between Sweden and Lübeck a few decades later have long been forgotten, but the friendship is now celebrated. Rear Admiral Ewa Skoog Haslum, head of the navy of the prospective NATO member, also travelled to Lübeck for the occasion. She was welcomed by her German counterpart, Vice Admiral Jan C. Kaack, to the sounds of the Kiel Naval Music Corps. The officer then signed the Golden Book of the Hanseatic city. Haslum had brought a symbolic coin with her from her home country,...

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Do you have any sounds?

Tattoo, ceremonial pledge, units leaving: Marching music is immediately associated with them. A look into the orchestra pit of the Kiel Naval Music Corps. A sunny day in Kiel. The Gorch Fock sails in again. The music corps, led by Lieutenant Captain Inga Hilsberg, marches onto the Gorch Fock pier to the beat. Arriving at the berth, brief corrections are made, then familiar sounds are heard to welcome the ship. Change of scene. The former dining hall at the naval arsenal in Kiel serves as a rehearsal room. However, it is actually just a poor makeshift solution for the lack of space in the Wik. The Kiel version of a botched infrastructure measure. People gather on the floor of the room before the dress rehearsal...

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Cold start capable

Thanks to highly motivated soldiers and modern, ready-to-use ships, Flotilla 2 can react flexibly to current operational requirements. Nevertheless, there are major challenges, particularly in the area of personnel. In this interview, the commander of Operational Flotilla 2, Flotilla Admiral Axel Schulz, talks about the problems involved in implementing the Soldiers' Working Hours Ordinance and his wishes for modern equipment for the ships. marineforum: How are the EZ/AZ operational training projects progressing in terms of content and also infrastructure? Axel Schulz: The Operational Training Centre Multidimensional Naval Warfare (EAZ MD SeekFü) project continues to make good progress in terms of installation, operation and the associated infrastructural measures. With effect from 1 April 2022, the...

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