majalah militer

April 5, 2009 -- In a very short time, the Swedish corvette HMS Malmö and Stockholm, and support ship Trossö have been modified to be able to operate in very different waters than they originally intended. FMV has been responsible for a series of modifications of the vessels.

On December 19 came the decision from the government that Sweden should participate in EU intervention in the waters around Somalia. Since then, there has been full speed on the preparations.

In a team consisting of Naval base at Karlskrona and 3rd naval squadron, which will implement the action, FMV has participated in the preparatory work and was responsible for a series of measures to make the vessels more suited to operate in tropical waters.

The ships have undergone a so-called third-party verification in order to verify the safety at sea for vessels operating in other waters than they were originally intended. Third Party Verification, made by the classification society Det Norske Veritas, identified needs that are now implemented.

The vessels have been supplemented with rescue and safety related equipment. Ventilation and cooling capacity have been improved for operation in warmer environments. The satellite communications have also been improved.

To make the vessels interoperable with other nations the ships have been equipped with new installations, including equipment for secure text and secure voice and crypto equipment. Arms have been supplemented by heavy machine-gun and ballistic protection for the marksmen.

Work has been carried out under great time pressure.

- Thanks to the wise decision in the autumn and forces now at the end of everyone involved, we have succeeded in implementing these measures in a short time, "says Ingvar Backman, Coordinator for Somalia bet at FMV.

Aid ship Trossö has undergone corresponding measures as the corvettes, moreover, the vessel received a new system. The vessel also equipped with several heavy machine guns and ballistic protection for the marksmen.

Friday, April 3 the loading of the ship-lift starts. It will carry the three vessels to the area of operation in the Gulf of Aden. The Swedish team will be stationed in port of Djibouti, bordering Somalia and has a strategic location at the mouth of the Red Sea.

The task is first and foremost to act escort to the aid packages as UN (World Food Program) sends to the area. But it can also be envisaged to act in areas where pirates operate and show its presence. (Defpro)