Canadian Ships Monitor Russian Navy Vessels in Europe and Mediterranean

From August 29 to September 18, 2024, His Majesty’s Canadian Ships (HMCS) Shawinigan and Charlottetown monitored Russian submarines and surface ships while conducting vigilance activities alongside NATO ships. HMCS Shawinigan monitored a Russian submarine and surface vessel through the Baltic and North Seas, handing over responsibility to His Majesty’s Ship (HMS) Iron Duke of the Royal Navy on September 1. HMCS Charlottetown, flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), assumed monitoring duties on September 17 from ESPS Cristobal Colon of the Spanish Navy and monitored the vessels through the Eastern Mediterranean Sea. During this period, HMCS Charlottetown also monitored a separate Russian submarine and three surface vessels participating in Exercise OCEAN 24, a large-scale Russian exercise.

HMCS Shawinigan is currently deployed to Europe alongside HMCS Glace Bay on Operation REASSURANCE with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), working to dispose of historical ordnance and participating in NATO enhanced Vigilance Activities. HMCS Charlottetown is deployed on Operation REASSURANCE as the flagship for SNMG2, supporting regional maritime security in the Mediterranean.

The right of innocent passage provides standards for ships transiting the waters of another country. The Russian vessels complied with these standards during the monitoring period.