"Rügen" returns

On Wednesday, 10 December 2025 at 10 a.m., the ocean-going tug "Rügen" will return to the naval base in Wilhelmshaven under the command of Captain Lutz Lücken. This is the first time the tug "Rügen" has taken part in a mission in the contingent of the NATO support mission in the Aegean. Around a year and a half after being commissioned for the German Navy, the tug "Rügen" set off on her first mission in the Mediterranean on 12 June 2025. (Here read more)

During the deployment, the ship called at harbours in Greece and Turkey. A major highlight for the crew was the ceremonial handover of command from the Turkish to the Italian commander of the Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG 2) in Aksaz, Turkey, at the beginning of August. The Italian admiral visited the ocean-going tug the next day, which was the first deployment ever for the ocean-going tug and a new experience for the crew. It was also the first civilian-crewed ship of the Trossgeschwader. The "Rügen" travelled around 17,000 nautical miles.