AEGEAN SEA – The Albanian navy joined its first-ever NATO maritime mission with the addition of the ALS Oriku to Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 in the Aegean Sea on Monday, November 21.

ALS Oriku is an Iliria-class patrol boat manned by 21 crew members who will rotate every two months throughout the year long deployment, supporting NATO activities in the Aegean as part of international efforts to stop illegal trafficking and migration.

 

 
The Albanian patrol boat has joined ships from Greece, The Netherlands, Turkey and the United Kingdom. These units are patrolling and providing real-time information on a daily basis to the Coast Guards of Greece and Turkey, the EU Border, and Coast Guard Agency Frontex.

The Standing NATO Maritime Groups are a multinational, integrated maritime force made up of vessels from various allied countries. These vessels (including their helicopters) are permanently available to NATO to perform different tasks ranging from participating in exercises to actually intervening in operational missions.

The Republic of Albania joined the North Atlantic Treaty Organization in 2009, and is one of the contributors to the Alliance operations to maintain peace and security in Afghanistan. Albania also contributes to the NATO–led Kosovo Force mission in Kosovo continuing to support the cooperation between NATO and Kosovo Security Forces.

 

 

To learn more about NATO's Allied Maritime Command, visit their website at www.mc.nato.int