21.08.2012
Text: Southern Military District Press Service
Photo:
Prior to that, in southwestern part of the Black Sea the ships practiced piloting behind Bulgarian minesweeper
Shkval.
In addition, the participants together with coordination center of the operation Black Sea Harmony based in Eregli (Turkey) and BLACKSEAFOR command post based in Divnomorskoye (Russia) exercised monitoring of commercial shipping and displaying of surface situation.
Except for that, crews of the task group practiced countering attack of fast-speed small vessels in limited use of force conditions, and tested interaction when joint maneuvering and sailing in formations.
One of the main episodes in the current activation was naval isolation and ship inspection exercise. According to scenario, a Turkish deck-based helicopter was performing a reconnaissance flight and detected a "violator vessel". Then BLACKSEAFOR ships interrogated, stopped, and inspected the suspicious vessel. That part of the exercise was done by marine boarding party of the Russian landing ship
Novocherkassk.
Ships of the international task group were triumphantly met in the port of Novorossiysk. Today, BLACKSEAFOR Commander Capt Hakan Gunes (Turkish Navy) and ships' commanding officers will pay courtesy visits to the mayor of Novorossiysk Vladimir Sinyagovsky and Novorossiysk Naval Base Commander Capt 1 Rank Sergei Pinchuk.
The guests will have eventful cultural program when staying in Novorossiysk; among other activities, sailors will visit museum cruiser
Mikhail Kutuzov.
BLACKSEAFOR ships will stay in Novorossiysk till Aug 24.
