Greece receives first Island class patrol vessels from the U.S.

On July 3, 2023 the first Island-class cutters, that were transferred to the Hellenic Navy by the United States Coast Guard (USCG), have arrived in Perama of Piraeus, Greece. Two more vessels will arrive in the coming weeks. The vessels were previously stationed in Manama, Bahrain (Naval Support Activity Bahrain) as a part of Patrol Forces Southwest Asia (PATFORSWA) to provide the US Navy 5th Fleet with combat ready assets. Greece becomes the 6th country to acquire Island-class patrol vessels for its maritime forces, after Pakistan (Pakistan Maritime Security Agency), Georgia (Georgian Coast Guard), Costa Rica (Costa Rican Coast Guard), Ukraine (Ukrainian Navy) and of course the United States. My story for Naval News, here.

Greek Shipbuilder Reveals New Special Operations Craft Designs

Some months after the successful introduction into service with the Hellenic Navy (ΗΝ) of Phi-Mechaniseas’s first Special Operations Craft (SOC) design AGENOR 18, also known as Agenor, the Greek company partnered with DIAPLOUS Group, a security, defence and crisis management group of companies, providing both maritime and land-based holistic risk management solutions on a global scale. The newly established DIAPLOUS PHI (founded in January 2023) is led by former senior naval officers, naval architects and marine engineers who bring together advanced naval engineering knowledge together with deep Special Forces operational expertise to the design and construction of SOCs, complemented by expertise in tactical mission and weapon systems. DIAPLOUS PHI aims to provide its customers with tailor-made and turnkey solutions taking into considerations their special requirements and needs. My story for Naval News, here.