SPPF Government Snubs NATO?
Last weekend a flotilla of NATO ships paid a friendly port visit to Seychelles for 4 days. The fleet comprised of warships from six different NATO member countries; Canada, Denmark, Germany, The Netherlands, Portugal and the United States.
Standing NATO Maritime Group 1 (SNMG1) consists of six vessels; USS Normandy which is the flag ship of SNMG1 is a guided missile Ticonderoga class cruiser. HNLMS Evertsen from the Royal Netherlands Navy is a state of the art air defence and command frigate. Her stealth like construction makes her less detectable by radar. FGS Spessart a German Navy Rhone Class Replenishment Tanker is vital to the SNMG1 throughout deployment, ensuring that the force has sufficient fuel and provisions to sustain operations far from home for long periods of time. HMCS Toronto is a Canadian Halifax Class multi-role patrol frigate which has taken part in Operation Active Endeavour in the Mediterranean and in Hurricane Katrina relief operations. NRP Alvaras Cabral from the Portuguese Navy is a Vasco de Gama Class frigate fitted with Harpoon, Sea Sparrow, Torpedo systems and a large flight deck and hangar to operate two Lynx helicopters. Finally HDMS Olfert Fischer from the Royal Danish Navy is a corvette with regular participation in Standing Naval Force Atlantic since 1992. She has served in the Gulf War and Iraq and is fitted with Harpoon, Sea Sparrow and a 76 mm gun.
The ships set sail to make this historic 12,500 nautical mile circumnavigation of the African continent on a two month deployment from August to October this year as part of NATO’s commitment to global security. They sailed from the Mediterranean in early August past the west coast of Africa and the Niger Delta. In recent months that region has seen kidnapping of oil workers and attacks on oil installations by criminal groups.
The Force was under the command of Rear Admiral Michael K. Mahon, US Navy. They visited South Africa for six days calling at Cape Town at the end of August where they conducted a series of exercises with the South African Navy and Air Force. On its second phase of the African deployment SNMG1 visited Port Victoria from 14 to 18 September. The Force left Port Victoria last Tuesday morning heading towards the Horn of Africa, an area in which the safe passage of vessels carrying aid and humanitarian assistance to that region has increasingly been disturbed by acts of privacy. The SNMG1 African deployment will conclude with presence operations in the Red Sea followed by passage through the Suez Canal to Mediterranean.
During their stay in the Seychelles a delegation from SNMG1, which included Rear Admiral Michael K Mahon the Commander of SNMG1, paid a courtesy call on President Michel at State House. A cocktail was organized onboard USS Normandy for local dignitaries on Friday evening, the day the ships arrived. It was well represented by the local diplomatic corp. and members of the Opposition. The Leader of the Opposition, Honourable Wavel Ramkalawan, and most of the opposition MNAs attended the function. However the Government was conspicuously underrepresented to the extent that observers are calling it a snub. The reason for the snub is thought to be the cozy relationship currently warming up between the Peoples’ Republic of China and the Seychelles Government.
