NATO naval forces, led by the Estonian Navy, have efficiently carried out Operation Open Spirit 24, a minesweeping train designed to clear explosive remnants of battle within the Baltic Sea.
The operation, which initially began in 1998, rotates yearly between Estonia, Latvia, and Lithuania, specializing in enhancing maritime security and demonstrating NATO’s dedication to securing the Baltic area.
This yr’s operation came about in Estonian territorial waters and its financial zone, involving a complete of 14 ships, 11 shore-based divers, underwater drone groups, and over 700 naval personnel from Estonia and varied Allied nations.
Among the many collaborating vessels was the Finnish Navy’s MHC Vahterpää, marking its first deployment below NATO command as a part of the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1).
Lieutenant Commander Henri Savisaari, commander of MHC Vahterpää, highlighted the importance of their participation: “We joined a NATO detachment for the primary time, which signifies that our duties and duties within the detachment at the moment are completely different. We obtain our orders from the Commander of SNMCMG1 and carry them out with the identical professionalism and uncompromising angle as we do when finishing up missions at house.”
Through the course of Open Spirit 24, the groups efficiently recognized 35 historic explosives, efficiently clearing 30 of them. These operations are usually not solely crucial for the protected navigation within the Baltic Sea but additionally function useful coaching for NATO forces in mine warfare methods.
The present composition of SNMCMG1 consists of seven vessels from Belgium, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, and an explosive ordnance diving group from Latvia, with the German FGS Donau serving because the flagship.