Smugglers on the maritime trail

I'm sorry, but I can only provide translations of text. If you have text you need translated, feel free to share it with me.

The Mediterranean, endless expanses. In the last two decades, the bathtub of Europe has turned into an increasingly restless sea area. Since 2007, at the suggestion of the USA, a series of annual maritime exercises are conducted in the month of May under the designation " Phoenix Express," in which the affected coastal countries of the Mediterranean region regularly participate. For the second year in a row, the German security company International Security Network (ISN) supports this exercise as a functional with its multi-functional operational ship MV Markab. Christian Lang, Managing Director of Antares Charter GmbH from Karlsruhe, Baden-Württemberg, gave us insight into the exercise and spoke with Udo Lücke about the process. ISN participated in this extensive and challenging military exercise with a former customs boat - now a civilian 59-meter ship with a crew of 9.

Background of the maneuver: Organized groups with a criminal or even terrorist background are frequently found on the main sea routes. According to the coast guard and customs authorities of the adjacent countries, the number of registered interceptions of smuggler boats and incidents related to the smuggling trade has significantly increased. Even individual cases of piracy were recorded in the first half of 2015 off the North African coast. The combating of this overall phenomenon has long become an international matter.

SPARTANAT: What was the goal of the multinational naval exercise Phoenix Express 2015?

Lang: The coastal countries of the Mediterranean region have a keen interest in a calm and stable situation on the free sea trade routes off their coasts. Almost all coastal countries conduct their import/export economy through sea routes. Besides the joint fight against organized human trafficking, close cooperation in cases of maritime emergencies and major disasters is also sought. During the regular joint maritime exercises, each country learns from the other. It only makes sense to strive for a uniformly high level of training and operational capability. The tasks set for this year included areas such as maritime rescue, search and rescue situations, tracking of pirate and smuggler boats, and the inspection of cargo loads.

SPARTANAT: Which countries were involved?

Lang: The personnel and material effort for Phoenix Express 2015 was again very high. About 1,000 naval personnel from North Africa, Europe, and the USA participated in the exercise with seven ships of different classes. A total of 13 partner countries gathered under the overall direction of the US Navy Forces Europe-Africa Command (AFRICOM), the US 6th Fleet based in Naples.

SPARTANAT: How large was the exercise area?

Lang: The entire Mediterranean, from Spain to the south coast of Turkey, was designated as the exercise area. However, the actual focus was the sea area between Italy and Spain. Still a lot of water.

SPARTANAT: What were the tasks of the MV Markab and its crew in the exercise?

Lang: The list of assignments for the Markab was quite varied. Initially, the ship acted as a tracking target for the optronic operators on the operational ships. It was supposed to attract attention by performing unusual sailing maneuvers. Our main role in the exercise, however, was usually that of the "evil smuggler" trying to evade and escape the task force ships. Evading the concentrated electronic systems of the naval ships is a real challenge.

“The Americans deal more openly with the issue of 'collaboration with private companies' than we are used to from the German side.”

SPARTANAT: How many times did the MV Markab participate in the exercise and how did such a phase go?

Lang: We were on standby 24/7 for these exercise days. During this phase, we were called into active operational duty ten times. Once one of the task force ships detected us on its radar and classified us as suspicious, it made contact via radio and requested identification. At the same time, the ship approached rapidly. For example, during the exercise near the Italian island of Sardinia, with the Greek frigate HS Adrias (F-459). The impressive Elli-class naval ship, which had also participated in the EU-led Atalanta mission, is capable of reacting to threats from aircraft, submarines, and other warships. It approached the stern of the MV Markab from the (right) starboard side to about 500 meters and ordered our captain to stop or idle to conduct a general questioning and inspection. At the same time, a S-70B-6 "Aegan Hawk" helicopter took off from the deck of the frigate as an additional cover component from the (left) port side. We could observe in parallel how the boarding teams approached in their fast Zodiac rigid inflatable boats, climbed aboard lightly, and quickly spread out on the ship. The commanding officer on the bridge questioned the captain and thoroughly checked the identification papers, ship's papers, and cargo manifests. The international operating language at sea is English, so there are rarely any communication problems. As part of the exercise, in this case, we were supposed to act somewhat unwilling and resistant, resulting in the boarding team conducting a particularly thorough and robust search of the ship. The US Navy officers from the control group on board had hidden several packets of simulated training drugs in the crew quarters. However, the Greek marines found them after about an hour and verified them through a quick test. The interrogation and arrest of the man residing in the cabin then proceeded as a formality and ran smoothly. The exercise leaders were satisfied and expressed this in the subsequent debriefing with the boarding team.

SPARTANAT: How was the cooperation with the international military forces?

Lang: There were no reservations between the international military personnel and the civilian exercise participants. The military cooperation was surprisingly uncomplicated yet characterized by high professionalism. The very comradely, even friendly atmosphere made the long hours quite bearable. The Americans are more open in dealing with the topic of "collaboration with private companies" than we are used to from the German side.

SPARTANAT: How are the exercise experiences at ISN implemented (pictured above: Greek boarding team)?

Lang: Where civilian companies can provide valuable support or even complement, the Bundeswehr should open up even more during its foreign missions and delegate tasks. We will continue to strive for closer cooperation.

SPARTANAT: What are the next assignments for the MV Markab and its crew?

Lang: After the repeated successful collaboration with the US Navy, there are expected to be further follow-up missions in the Indian Ocean. In addition to our core business of preventive pirate defense off the West and East coasts of Africa, our ships are also available for international research missions or for the oil industry, for example, as stationary diving platforms. There are numerous interesting possibilities for cooperation in the maritime sector.

ANTARES CHARTER ON THE INTERNET: www.antares-charter.com