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 with NATO ships. HMCS Shawinigan monitored a Russian submarine and surface vessel through the Baltic and North Seas until September 1, when responsibility was handed over to the Royal Navy's HMS Iron Duke. HMCS Charlottetown, the flagship of Standing NATO Maritime Group 2 (SNMG2), took over monitoring duties on September 17 from the Spanish Navy's ESPS Cristobal Colon and continued monitoring 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 deployed to Europe alongside HMCS Glace Bay on Operation REASSURANCE with Standing NATO Mine Countermeasures Group 1 (SNMCMG1), focusing on disposing of historical ordnance and participating in NATO enhanced Vigilance Activities. HMCS Charlottetown is deployed as the flagship for SNMG2, supporting regional maritime security in the Mediterranean. The Russian vessels complied with the right of innocent passage standards while transiting the waters of other countries.