EU Naval Force flagship, HNLMS Johan de Witt, successfully conducted a Replenishment at Sea (RAS) with Australian supply ship HMAS Success in the Indian Ocean on Saturday 28 February. After meeting at the RAS rendezvous point, HNLMS Johan de Witt increased speed and went alongside HMAS Success in order to start what is a routine, yet very impressive maneuver.
During the replenishment, the Force Commander of EU Naval Force, Rear Admiral Jonas Haggren, took the opportunity to pay HMAS Success a visit. Admiral Haggren also got the opportunity to have front row seat during the replenishment. The Australian ship provides regular replenishment support to EU Naval Forces counter-piracy warships as well as other international forces and independent deployers in the area of operations.
“It was a great opportunity to express our appreciation but also to exchange ideas and experiences. The HMAS Success is vital part in the joint efforts to combat piracy, and I really hope that the crew feel that they make a difference for EU Naval Force as well as other international forces. You can really tell it is a happy ship”, said Rear Admiral Haggren.
During the replinshment, theHMAS Success traditionally played some authentic Australian rock music for the crew on Johan de Witt. As soon as the replenishment was completed, HNLMS Johan de Witt resumed her counter-piracy patrols.
“We have a multi-role task in the sense that we flexibly assigns between Task Force 53, the logistics function who replenishes all the allied ship within the area, and Combined Task Force 150. Most of the ships we have replenished so far has been from EU Naval Force and I think that is partly due to their area of operations which happen to coincide with our patrolling area. I think it is indicative of the nature of naval cooperation and it is evident in this region. We have a number of task forces and independent deployers through the region and we on HMAS Success are happy to support them”, said Captain Justin Jones, Commanding Officer on HMAS Success.
This is not the first time that HNLMS Johan de Witt conducted a RAS since she joined Operation Atalanta in the beginning of February. She successfully completed a RAS with another ship attached to Task Force 53: the USNS Joshua Humphreys. This cooperation helps EU Naval Force warships to extended their endurance and operate 24/7, protecting World Food Program (WFP) vessels and vulnerable shipping against the continued piracy threat.