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Preparing for the Worst, Turkish Navy Awards Contract for Submarine Rescue Mother Ship

Preparing for the Worst, Turkish Navy Awards Contract for Submarine Rescue Mother Ship [VIDEO]

By Rob Almeida On May 21, 2012

Rolls-Royce and Istanbul Shipyard will be working together following their announcement today of an award by the Turkish Navy for three new ships. Istanbul Shipyard will design and build one Submarine Rescue Mother Ship (MOSHIP) and two Rescue and Towing Ships at their yard in Tuzla, and Rolls-Royce will supply tunnel thrusters and retractable thrusters for all three vessels. In addition Rolls-Royce Azipull main propulsion thrusters will be supplied for the MOSHIP.

MOSHIP, image via Rolls Royce

MOSHIP is a dedicated submarine rescue mother ship designed to perform subsea and surface search and rescue missions in various sea conditions. This vessel is capable of detecting distressed submarines, providing life support including ventilation and pod posting, evacuating her crew up to 600 meters of depth and transferring them under pressure up to 5 Bar.

Operational Capabilities Include:

• Search and rescue up to and including sea state 6

• Sea bottom imaging, high acoustic capabilities

• Towed Side Scan Sonar (TSSS) operations

• Detecting the distressed submarine

• Position keeping at 4 knots current and sea state 4 with Class II Dynamic Positioning System

• Providing life support to the crew including ELSS pod posting

• External ventilation (up to 600 m. depth)

• Dissub personnel rescue (up to 600 m. depth)

• Transferring under pressure

• Treating diving diseases with post modern decompression/ recompression pressure chambers and extensive hospital facilities

• Twin interconnected, L-type SRV connectible pressure chambers for 32 rescuees

• Acting as a medevac station with her heli-deck, capable of operating around the clock, up to sea state 4

• A clear aft deck area of 650 m2

• Operating with certified US SRDRS system with built-in A-frame of US SRDRS SRV and hydraulic/ telescopic crane of 35 tons capacity

• Operating with certified NATO NSRS system

• Atmospheric Diving Suit (ADS) operations

• Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC) operations

• Personnel Transfer Capsule (PTC) operations

• Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) operations

• Acting as a medevac station with her heli-deck, capable of operating around the clock, up to sea state 4

• A clear aft deck area of 650 m2

• Operating with certified US SRDRS system with built-in A-frame of US SRDRS SRV and hydraulic/ telescopic crane of 35 tons capacity

• Operating with certified NATO NSRS system

• Atmospheric Diving Suit (ADS) operations

• Submarine Rescue Chamber (SRC) operations

The following is an animation from Istanbul Shipyard depicting the MOSHIP. (We recommend you mute your volume, or feel free to crank it up if you enjoy rocking out to Kylie Minogue)

This is the first order for thrusters that Rolls-Royce has received from the Turkish Navy, which is planning a significant ship building programme in the coming years.

Sam Cameron, Rolls-Royce, Senior Vice President – Naval Sales and Business Development said:

“The Turkish Navy is an important customer, with whom we have a strong relationship. Our technology is particularly well suited to naval applications and we look forward to developing the relationship with both the Istanbul Shipyard and the Turkish Navy in the future.”

Rolls-Royce supplies seventy navies around the world and has previously supplied controllable pitch propellers and sonar handling systems to the Turkish Navy.

Azipull thrusters rotate through 360 degrees and can propel the ship in any direction offering high manoeuvrability, without the need for a rudder. This technology enables vessels to hold their position more effectively, which is especially important for vessels carrying out search and rescue missions.

via Preparing for the Worst, Turkish Navy Awards Contract for Submarine Rescue Mother Ship [VIDEO] | gCaptain – Maritime & Offshore.

May 22, 2012
Egypt, Turkey use F-16s in joint naval exercise

CAIRO — Egypt and Turkey have concluded a naval combat exercise.

Officials said the exercise, called “Sea of Friendship 2011,” included combat and search-and-rescue operations meant to enhance interoperability.

Egyptian F-16s.

“The Egyptian Navy is highly trained and possesses modern weapons,” Egyptian Navy commander Adm. Mohab Mamish said. “It’s quite capable of protecting Egypt’s coasts and territorial waters.”

Officials said the multi-stage exercise, which concluded on Dec. 29, included live fire, electronic warfare and anti-mining operations. They said the exercise also brought the navies of Egypt and Turkey in anti-piracy simulations that included fighter-jets and helicopters.

Both militaries contributed the U.S.-origin F-16 multi-role fighters.

The Egyptian Air Force also contributed the SH-2G helicopter, upgraded by the U.S. company Kaman Aerospace.

“The Egyptian Navy’s good reputation attracts the world’s militaries to participate with it in joint training programs,” Mamish said.

Officials said this marked one of the most extensive combat exercises by Ankara and Cairo. They said the two militaries would engage in several exercises in 2012.

“We look forward to more joint training,” Turkish Navy commander Adm. Murat Bilgel said.

via Egypt, Turkey use F-16s in joint naval exercise | World Tribune.

January 3, 2012
Turkey, Egypt in Joint Naval Exercises

Turkey and Egypt are both concerned over the Iranian threat – and are conducting a joint military exercise to show their solidarity.

By David Lev

Turkish vessel (right) in an exercise U.S. Navy

Egyptian navy ships were on their way to the waters off Turkey Thursday afternoon, where they will rendezvous with Turkish navy vessels for a joint exercise. Egypt’s top naval commander, Muhav Mamish, said in an interview that the the exercise is “not directed against any specific country, and is designed to strengthen ties and exchange information between Turkey and Egypt.” The name of the exercise, Voice of Israel radio reported, was “Sea of Friendship.”

Israeli officials speculated that the exercise was not necessarily aimed at Israel, but against Iran, which has both Turkey and Egypt worried. Turkey, long a rival with Iran for leadership of the Islamic world, is concerned over recent Iranian threats against it. In recent weeks, Iranian officials have threatened Turkey with attack if the U.S. or Israel attempt to attack its nuclear facilities. Iran, the officials said, would attack the NATO missile shield.

A report Sunday, for example, quoted Hussein Ibrahim, the vice president of the Iranian parliamentary national security and foreign policy panel, as saying that “it is Iran’s natural right to target the missile defense shield system in Turkey in case of an attack, and we will definitely resort to that.” Several days earlier, Gen. Amir Ali Hajizadeh, the head of Iran’s Revolutionary Guards’ aerospace division, said that “should we [Iran] be threatened, we will target NATO’s missile defense shield in Turkey and then hit our next targets.”

Other Iranian officials have made similar statements in recent weeks. On Tuesday, Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu met with his Iranian counterpart Ali Akbar Salehi and questioned him on the statements, but Salehi said that the comments did not represent Iranian policy, but the “personal opinions” of officials.

Meanwhile, say analysts, the Egyptian military is seeking friends outside the Iran/Islamic fundamentalist orbit, considering that the country is likely to be run by those groups in the near future. Thursday was the second day of the second round of voting in Egypt’s first democratic election in decades, and once again, the Islamist parties – the Muslim Brotherhood and Salafist al-Nour party – are said to be doing very well, according to informal polls by Egyptian and foreign media. This round of voting is taking place in areas such as Giza, Luxor and Aswan, which in the past have favored conservative Islamic candidates in local elections. Egyptian military leaders believe that there is a close connection between the Islamists and Iran, and are thus seeking to improve their ties with Turkey, the only other country in the region they believe can take on Iran politically.

via Turkey, Egypt in Joint Naval Exercises – Middle East – News – Israel National News.

December 16, 2011
Rescue team still searching in Adriatic

Turkey will continue rescue efforts with a more professional team in the search for eight crewmen who went missing after their Turkish merchant ship collided with a passenger ferry in the Adriatic Sea on Oct. 19, the transport minister said yesterday.

“We will send a more professional team with new equipment to the Adriatic,” said Binali Yıldırım, Turkey’s transportation minister, speaking at a press conference in Istanbul. The Reina-1 sank immediately after the collision and two of the crew members were rescued, he said, adding that eight Turkish citizens remain missing in Adriatic.

New team sent

Unfortunately, the depth is nearly 120 meters and Barbaros (a Turkish torpedo boat) could not continue the rescue operations. “We are now sending a more professional diving team with better equipment,” the minister said. The ship’s insurance company, the ship-owner and Turkish Undersecretariat of Maritime Affairs will continue to carry out rescue operations collaboratively in the region, said Yıldırım.

via Rescue team still searching in Adriatic – Hurriyet Daily News.

Vessel’s Details

Ship Type: Cargo
Year Built: 1991
Length x Breadth: 78 m X 12 m
DeadWeight: 3400 t
Speed recorded (Max / Average): 8.9 / 8.6 knots
Flag: Malta [MT]
Call Sign: 9HIK7
IMO: 8802478, MMSI: 215267000

Last Position Received

Area: Ionian
Latitude / Longitude: 39.52011° / 20.10747° (Map)
Currently in Port:
Last Known Port: ISTANBUL
Info Received: 4d 22h 44min 39s ago
Not Currently in Range
Itineraries History

Voyage Related Info (Last Received)

Draught: 6.3 m
Destination: BAR
ETA: 2011-10-20 08:00
Info Received: 2011-10-19 03:05 (5d, 3h 46min 39s ago)

Recent Port Calls:

No Records Found

Ex Names History

No Records Found

October 24, 2011
Turkey to co-produce pilotless Navy copters

ÜMİT ENGİNSOY

ANKARA- Hürriyet Daily News

A new program for the co-production of unmanned helicopters worth hundreds of millions of dollars has been launched by military and procurement authorities to boost Turkey’s naval intelligence capabilities, a procurement official said on the weekend.

The Undersecretariat for Defense Industries (SSM), Turkey’s procurement agency, will formally start the program soon. Requests for proposal will likely be released before the end of the year, the official said on condition of anonymity. “The competition will be open to foreign bidders, but they will have to agree to work with a Turkish prime contractor,” the official said.

The local prime contractor will most likely be Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) based near Ankara, industry sources said. Last December TAI successfully performed test flights for the Sivrisinek (Mosquito), its first small unmanned helicopter prototype, which is equipped with the Cirit (Javelin), a rocket developed by Turkish missile maker Roketsan.

The co-production program will involve an initial batch of up to 30 unmanned helicopters, all to be acquired by the Navy. Initial specification for the planned unmanned platform is a range of 180 kilometers and a flight time of up to 10 hours, procurement officials said. In its first test flight, the Sivrisinek was airborne for 90 minutes. According to planned contract specifications, the unmanned helicopters must perform vertical take-off and landing since they will be operated from naval platforms. The unmanned helicopters will initially be deployed on a landing platform dock (LPD) Turkey plans to acquire, but in later stages of the program, they will operate using Turkish corvettes and frigates as bases.

UAVs either self-directed or remote controlled

An unmanned or pilotless aircraft (UAV) can function either by remote control by a navigator or pilot, or autonomously as a self-directing entity. In the military most types are used for surveillance purposes, while the U.S. General Atomics’ MQ-9 Reaper is an armed version.

Most Army and Air Force drones are pilotless aircraft with large wings as they utilize long runways for take-off and landing. But since naval platforms usually lack runways, UAVs used by the Navy are pilotless helicopters. As there is no risk of loss of personnel, UAVs can be used for risky missions. Turkey’s UAV efforts mainly are related to the country’s fight against the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militants. In the 1990s, Turkey utilized 10 platforms bought from the U.S. General Atomics. In recent years, such platforms were obtained from Israel. Turkey presently has in its inventory nine IAI Heron UAVs for anti-terrorism surveillance but plans to buy a small number of MQ-1 Predator drones from the United States. Meanwhile, its own program to produce the Anka drone has faced technical problems.

via Turkey to co-produce pilotless Navy copters – Hurriyet Daily News.

October 18, 2011
Turkey’s Piri Reis vessel is OK, says official

NICOSIA

While Turkey denies claims that the engine of the Piri Reis, a vessel searching for energy in the eastern Med, has broken down, Greek Cyprus is preparing for a second hydrocarbon licensing round in its exclusive economic zone

This file photo shows Turkish Piri Reis vessel sailing in the Mediterranean researching gas and oil. AA photo

A Turkish vessel continued a renewed round of gas exploration in the eastern Mediterranean yesterday, a Turkish official said, denying media reports that said the vessel’s engine broke Oct. 12. The news came on the same day that Greek Cyprus announced plans for a second round of hydrocarbon licenses to prospect for gas off its shores.

The Turkish research boat Piri Reis spent the night conducting research in an eastern Mediterranean area earlier determined by the Turkish Petroleum Corporation (TPAO), Turkish official Seda Okay said, denying claims that the search had been curtailed due to engine failure. Okay said the vessel stayed at the Famagusta port of the island overnight Oct. 12 because of poor weather conditions.

Meanwhile, Greek Cyprus is stepping up procedures for a second hydrocarbon licensing round in its exclusive economic zone, Commerce, Industry and Tourism Minister Praxoula Antoniadou said, adding that decisions on the issue were expected before the end of 2011, Cyprus news agency reported yesterday.

Commenting on press reports that the ministerial committee dealing with the issue of hydrocarbon exploration decided to expedite the second hydrocarbon licensing round in offshore blocks, Antoniadou said: “What is certain is that the next steps with regard to the exploitation of possible hydrocarbon reserves are being discussed at a high political level as well as at the level of the ministerial committee. What is currently under discussion is how to expedite procedures so we can proceed with the second licensing round soon.”

The Piri Reis is conducting geophysical research and has collected seismic data on behalf of Turkish Cyprus. “We have collected data from a 1,000-kilometer area so far,” the Piri Reis’ captain, Çağdaş Konuşur, said on the phone Oct. 12.

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Northern Cyprus President Derviş Eroğlu signed an agreement in New York on the delineation of the continental shelf between the two countries in the eastern Mediterranean. The deal gives Turkey the green light to search for oil and natural gas inside Turkish Cypriot waters.

via Turkey’s Piri Reis vessel is OK, says official – Hurriyet Daily News.

October 16, 2011