Ukrainian corvette Ternopil to attend Operation Active Endeavour

08.11.2010 Ukrainian corvette Ternopil sailed off Sevastopol on Nov 7 heading for the Mediterranean Sea to execute tasks of anti-terror Operation Active Endeavour, i.e. to monitor and patrol the Mediterranean Sea as a part of NATO task forces.

There is a search party and marine unit onboard Ternopil. All information obtained by the crew will be transferred to Maritime Component Command – Naples (Italy) and NATO Shipping Center (Northwood, UK).

Preparing to Operation Active Endeavour, the crew of Ternopil successfully performed missile and artillery firings against air and sea targets; carried out shipborne trainings including watch officers drill, single ship engagement, determination of target movement parameters, tactical maneuvering, and ship damage control.

The ship is fully manned; all crewmembers are authorized to operate shipborne equipment and perform combat exercises.

Corvette Ternopil will participate in Operation Active Endeavour for the fifth time. During patrols in the Mediterranean, the crew of Ukrainian ship will train and practice monitoring of civil shipping, acquisition and registering of information about "suspect vessels", their pursuing and inspection, escorting of vessels with important cargoes, and countermine warfare.

Ternopil was commissioned into Ukrainian Navy on Dec 28, 2005. Commanding officer is Capt 3 rank Grigory Breyev. Cruise commander is Capt 2 rank Dmitry Zinchenko. The ships' length is 71.2 meters; beam is 9.8 meters; displacement is 950 tons; speed is 30 knots.

NATO anti-terror Operation Active Endeavour is conducted in the Mediterranean Sea. The Alliance practically implemented Article 5 of the Washington Treaty after terrorist attacks of 9/11. At request of the U.S., NATO agreed to launch an anti-terror operation in the Med Sea. Practical phase of the operation started on Oct 6, 2001.

The operational objective is counterterrorism actions within operation zone by preventing illegal shipment of arms and ammunitions, human traffic, and other unauthorized activities with the use of civil vessels.

Main tasks are patrolling and control over movements of vessels within operation zone. Ukraine became the second non-allied country to join Operation Active Endeavour.

Participation of Ukrainian military in the operation lies in functioning of primary National Contact Point at the basis of Ukrainian Navy HQ, work of a Ukraine's representative at operation headquarters (Naples, Italy), involvement of Ukrainian personnel in inspection of suspect vessels, and dispatching of Ukrainian warships to joint forces engaged in Operation Active Endeavour.

Other Ukrainian warships also took part in the operation apart from corvette Ternopil, i.e. frigate Getman Sagaidachny and corvette Lutsk.