Navy ship Tromp returned September 13 from the world trip that started in March. In recent months, the frigate reinforced the military presence in the Indo-Pacific and the Red Sea. The ship also took part in the largest naval exercise in the world near Hawaii.
The sailing program of Tromp started with participation in Operation Prosperity Guardian in the Red Sea. There, the air defense and command frigate protected civilian shipping against missiles and drones from the Houthis.
At the end of April, Zr. Ms. Tromp set course for the Indo-Pacific, partly to strengthen diplomatic ties with military partners. Port visits were made to Mumbai, Singapore, Jakarta and Haiphong. The ship also exercised at sea with the navies of countries in the region.
The world trip did not go entirely smoothly. During a patrol in the East China Sea, Tromp was circled several times by Chinese fighter planes on 7 June. These, plus a Chinese helicopter, also approached the NH90 maritime combat helicopter of the navy ship. According to the navy, this created a potentially unsafe situation. The incident took place in international airspace.
The world trip also offered the crew of Tromp the opportunity to train with allies in the highest spectrum of violence. In July, the ship took part in Rim of the Pacific (RIMPAC 2024). This is the largest naval exercise in the world. 40 ships, more than 170 aircraft and ground units from 29 countries took part. In addition to the Netherlands, Belgium, Denmark, Germany, France and Italy from Europe were involved in RIMPAC 2024.
After this, Tromp visited Curaçao and then set course for Den Helder. The crew was met by family and friends there this morning.