U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

The divers worked in tandem to start salvaging a wreck that posed a hazard to navigation at the site of a future pier expansion project.

"I wish that these partnerships continue in the future as the collaboration is a great learning opportunity and as the naval military branch of Seychelles Defence Forces we are aspiring to move into the direction of technical and salvage diving operations." - Capt Loizeau

By Task Force 68 Public Affairs , U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa VICTORIA, Seychelles Jan 10, 2023

View Gallery

Gallery contains 3 images

Photo 1 of 3

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

A diver from Underwater Construction Team One cuts apart a shipwreck during a salvage mission in Port Victoria, Seychelles, on Dec. 5, 2022. The UCT1 divers worked in tandem with Seychelles Coast Guard divers to start salvaging a wreck that posed a hazard to navigation at the site of a future pier expansion project.

Download image

Photo by: U.S. Navy courtesy photo

Photo 2 of 3

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

Information Systems Technician 2nd Class Angel Diaz, left, and Utilitiesman 2nd Class Robert Erlich, assigned to Underwater Construction Team One, operate a multibeam sonar system aboard a small craft to produce a hydrographic survey of Port Victoria, Seychelles, on Dec. 10, 2022. The UCT1 divers worked in tandem with Seychelles Coast Guard divers to start salvaging a wreck that posed a hazard to navigation at the site of a future pier expansion project.

Download image

Photo by: U.S. Navy courtesy photo

Photo 3 of 3

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

Steelworker 2nd Class Nicholas Ramirez, left, and Utilitiesman Logan Littrell use exothermic cutting techniques to cut into part of a shipwreck during a salvage mission in Port Victoria, Seychelles, on Dec. 8, 2022. The UCT1 divers worked in tandem with Seychelles Coast Guard divers to start salvaging a wreck that posed a hazard to navigation at the site of a future pier expansion project.

Download image

Photo by: U.S. Navy courtesy photo

U.S. Navy Seabee Divers assigned to Underwater Construction Team One and divers from the Seychelles Coast Guard completed a preliminary salvage mission to expand the berthing capacity of the Port of Victoria, Seychelles, on Dec. 22, 2022.

The UCT1 divers worked in tandem with SCG divers to start salvaging a wreck that posed a hazard to navigation at the site of a future pier expansion project. This mission will be used as a cornerstone for potential future diving engagements between SCG and U.S. forces, further strengthening the bond between the two nations.

“Working with the Seychelles Coast Guard has been a great experience,” said Chief Builder Estephan Lopez, assistant officer in charge for UCT1’s detachment to CTF 68. “They are an extremely professional group of divers and were more than willing to contribute their diving expertise throughout the job. I look forward to working with them more in the future.”

UCT1 divers utilized exothermic cutting tools to break the wreck into small pieces before removing debris from the water, allowing for mission completion while leaving behind a minimal footprint.

“This mission was a perfect way for us to practice what we train on,” said Steelworker 2nd Class Nicholas Ramirez, a diver who participated in the mission. “Underwater cutting is a really specialized part of our job as Seabee Divers and it’s awesome to be able to employ that capability in a way that actually helps the people in Seychelles.”

Seychellois Divers echoed Ramirez’s comments on the importance of events like this to the overall interoperability between the two nations. They also highlighted the opportunity these dives provide to enhance diving skill and expertise.

"It was a great experience for the Seychelles coast guard dive team,” said Capt Luigi Loizeau, diving officer with the Seychelles Coast Guard. “The CTF 68 divers are a dedicated professional and coordinated team. I wish that these partnerships continue in the future as the collaboration is a great learning opportunity and as the naval military branch of Seychelles Defence Forces we are aspiring to move into the direction of technical and salvage diving operations."

In addition to salvage operations, Seabee Divers completed a hydrographic survey of the entire port, identifying ship passageways and underwater topography. In total, UCT1 mapped over 1.7 million square meters, constructing a clear, concise and detailed map of the Port of Victoria's topography while providing 3D imaging of other identified underwater hazards.

Port Victoria, Seychelles, has been a vital international port for decades. With the importance of the port for trade, fishing and tourism, both Seychelles and the U.S. have a strong vested interest in the upkeep of the port. Bilateral dives like this one ensure that this vested interest continues to pay dividends for both partners.

Underwater Construction Team One is a specially trained and equipped unit within the Navy Expeditionary Combat Force which constructs, inspects, repairs, and maintains ports, ocean facilities, underwater systems and general maritime infrastructure. UCT is a key component of port damage repair operations during a disaster or contingency.

CTF 68, headquartered at Naval Station Rota, Spain, commands all Navy Expeditionary Forces in U.S. European Command and U.S. Africa Command areas of responsibility and is responsible for providing EOD operations, naval construction, expeditionary security, and theater security efforts in direct support of U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa and U.S. Sixth Fleet.

AFRICOM Leader Focuses on African Maritime Security in the West Indian Ocean

U.S., Seychelles naval units conduct dive and salvage engagement

Leadership by example: AFRICOM hosts senior enlisted conference

Association of African Air Forces: twenty-seven African nations come together

USS Hershel “Woody” Williams honors its namesake while in Seychelles

Seychelles

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

NAIROBI, Kenya – Among the flurry of tactical live fires and squad movement drills, air ground integration and even the humanitarian initiatives at exercise Justified Accord 2025 (JA25), lies the one thing those who serve in any armed force must follow: The Law. The Law of Armed Conflict, or LOAC, is a key aspect of training for any military. JA25’s academics course aimed at learning from the international legal lessons of previous wars in an effort to reduce the amount of human suffering in future conflicts. “The soldier’s rules are a broad set of rules that we have pulled from the large breadth of international law,” said U.S. Army Maj. Tim Olliges, an operational law attorney assigned to U.S. Army Southern European Task Force, Africa (SETAF-AF), the lead U.S. Army command and planner of JA25. “The LOAC is extensive and can be complex, so we pull out the ten most critical concepts that every soldier, right down to the private, should know before they go into combat.”

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

NAIROBI, Kenya – Imagine two scenarios. Scenario 1: Dawn breaks over the capital of Kenya. A U.S. diplomat leaves his residence for the embassy. After a 20-minute ride, his car arrives at the gate and he enters. He sits in his office to begin the day when, all of a sudden, he hears an explosion through the open window. It seems far off; it is not a large explosion. He thinks maybe it was just a car accident, but minutes later he smells something bitter in the air. His eyes water, sirens blare and a U.S. Marine Corps security detail enters his office wearing gas masks. They put a mask on him and tell him they must evacuate immediately because a deadly chemical is blowing over the compound. Scenario 2: U.S. intelligence receives credible information that radiological material is being loaded onto a ship in the Kenyan port city of Mombasa. Time is short and no one knows which ship, only that it will embark soon, possibly bound for the hands of violent extremists or other state actors looking to imperil the U.S. homeland. There is no time to send U.S. security forces to intercept the package. Instead, the Kenyan Disaster Response Battalion (DRB) mobilizes and arrives at the port. Using tactics and tools gained from years of training with the United States, they find the ship and the weapon, placed there by a violent extremist organization, and prevent its departure, defeating the threat to America and its citizens. Similar scenarios have happened before in other areas of the world.

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

The U.S. European Command (EUCOM) and Belgian Ministry of Defence, in partnership with U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM) and U.S. Indo Pacific Command (INDOPACOM) Chaplain Directorates, hosted the world’s largest annual meeting of senior military religious leaders at the 36th Annual NATO & Partner International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference (IMCCC) in Brussels, Belgium, January 27-31, 2025.

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

Army lawyers provide training on rules for armed conflict at exercise Justified Accord

US, Kenya prepare for the unimaginable CBRN threat

36th Annual International Military Chiefs of Chaplains Conference and First Chaplain Africa Forum held in Brussels

United States Africa Command

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

The divers worked in tandem to start salvaging a wreck that posed a hazard to navigation at the site of a future pier expansion project.

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria

U.S. and Seychellois divers team up in the Port of Victoria