The Israel Navy hosted a German Navy delegation, including a vessel conducting a port visit at the Port of Haifa, the military confirmed on Thursday.
During the visit, the visiting German vessel conducted a joint Passing Exercise (known as a PASSEX) as part of the “efforts to enhance operational cooperation, exchange knowledge, and deepen the professional relationship between the two navies,” the military said.
Other joint activities also occurred during the visit.
These included meetings between the senior officers involved, namely Haifa Naval Base Chief R.-Adm. Erez Ben Zion, and Germany’s 4th Frigate Squadron Chief, Naval Captain Volker Kübsch, and the visiting vessel’s Commanding Officer, Cmdr. Rico Geisler.
During the meetings, Ben Zion, Kübsch, and Geisler discussed the continued cooperation between the two navies and ways to further strengthen ties.
Israel has close ties with Germany’s naval manufacturing industry, having purchased corvettes and several submarines from the European country over the past years.
TKMS had already established ties with the Israeli Navy, selling four new submarines worth billions of shekels, as well as Israel Aerospace Industries, with which it worked on a deal to supply the German Navy with unmanned submarine vehicles.
Defense & Tech by The Jerusalem Post reported in February that the submarines delivered by IAI to TKMS were the autonomous BlueWhale mini-submarines.
In February, during the build-up to Israel and US airstrikes on Iran as part of operations Roaring Lion and Epic Fury, the world’s largest aircraft carrier, the USS Gerald R. Ford, was sent to dock in Israel. It eventually docked at Haifa Naval Base.
Yonah Jeremy Bob, Shir Perets, and Udi Etzion contributed to this report.
Source:
www.jpost.com
