For additional photos from the exercise, click HERE
The reliability of U.S.-flag tankers and American mariners was on display earlier this week as the SIU-crewed Maersk Peary successfully performed an underway replenishment (UNREP) exercise with the USNS Laramie off the east coast of Crete.
The Laramie’s crew includes members of the SIU Government Services Division.
Maersk Peary vessel master Capt. C. Fox said the mission “went well and all parties did a good job. The crew of the Maersk Peary had trained the prior few days and were up to the task. The USNS Laramie was also ready and they did a good job and were very good to work with.”
Underway replenishment is a key component of U.S. sealift and defense capabilities. Such operations save American-flag vessels time by not having to enter ports and refuel.
The recent exercise underscored the unique capabilities of the U.S.-flag fleet, along with the cadre of civilian mariners who have tanker-specific training. As one observer put it, “The exercise reflects that our military has guaranteed access to the vessels and, more importantly, to the mariners who have never failed to answer the call and sail into harm’s way, wherever and whenever needed.”
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