Late in the evening of December 9 mine countermeasures vessel M53 with a crew of 20 Lithuanian naval officers docked at the Naval Flotilla in Klaipėda Seaport. It is the first of two mine countermeasures vessels the Lithuanian Armed Forces is procuring from the United Kingdom.
The crew of M53 commanded by Lt Cdr Andrius Kaikaris has been supervising refit and reactivation of the ship and underwent intense training for handover of the ship since June of 2010 in Falmouth Port (UK).
Handover followed a precise training program preparing the crew to operate the ship securely, and to operate and oversee weaponry and other systems. After having completed the training the ship crew joined at-sea test where operation of the new installations was checked and skills of controlling modern equipment drilled.
The project of procuring and reactivation of Hunt class mine countermeasures vessel M53 was launched in 2008 and will continue till mid 2011 when all the refit and reactivation work is completed and the ship is passed into the possession of the Lithuanian Naval Force.
The refit and reactivation project encompasses comprehensive renewal of ships' hulls, modernised operation of the ships' systems and improved efficiency by replacing old power plants with new ones, and installation of cutting-edge mine countermeasures tools: sonars, command and control and mine neutralisation systems.
The second ship M54 is planned to be delivered to Lithuania next February. At the moment the new crew of M54 is supervising the ship's refit and reactivation process, and test new equipment.
The new ships in the Lithuanian Naval Force will be used for regular seafloor surveillance, mine countermeasure operations, and ensuring security of navigation, fishing, and technical and engineer works in the Baltic Sea. The new naval assets will also conduct naval patrols, search and rescue and other tasks.
As a NATO member Lithuania is a part of NATO capability planning process and specialises in naval mine clearance together with other Baltic States, i.e. develops capabilities in accordance with requirements for NATO's mine countermeasures forces. The new vessels will be assigned to the Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1) and will join its mine countermeasures operation in turns or on a rotational basis with naval assets of other allies. In case of a crisis mine countermeasures vessels ensure clear approaches to seaports and territorial waters, and safe and open sea passage for support from the allies. For the last decade Lithuania together with Estonia and Latvia has also been developing a joint mine countermeasures project Baltic Squadron (BALTRON) formed of national mine countermeasures assets.
Note for the media: For more information, please contact LNF Spokesperson Lt (N) Antanas Brencius, phone no. 00370 46 39 1207, cell phone no. 00370 698 18196.
