In A First, British Army Charters Civilian Ferry To Move 1,400 Troops To NATO Exercise In Germany

The British Army has used a civilian passenger ferry to move more than 1,400 troops to Germany for a major NATO exercise, marking the first time in over 20 years it has used this kind of transport for such a deployment.

The operation involved soldiers from the 7th Light Mechanised Brigade, known as The Desert Rats, boarding DFDS-operated ferry King Seaways at the Port of Tyne in Newcastle for a 16-hour North Sea crossing to the Netherlands.

From there, troops continued by rail into Germany to take part in Exercise Rhino Storm alongside French forces from the 13th Demi Brigade of the Foreign Legion.

The deployment is part of a larger operation involving more than 3,000 British soldiers and 900 military vehicles taking part in the exercise, which is aimed at testing rapid deployment, live-firing capability and brigade-level combat readiness.

British military officials said using a chartered civilian ferry helped test how commercial transport could support military movement during a large deployment in Europe. The exercise also tested the brigade’s ability to deploy by road, rail, sea and air.

Lieutenant Lucas Handyside of 7 Brigade said the exercise was designed to challenge the brigade at all levels and bring together fighting units and support elements in a realistic scenario.

Officials said moving 1,400 troops by air would have needed at least seven RAF Voyager aircraft, excluding extra flights for equipment. Using the ferry allowed the army to move large numbers of personnel in a single operation.

The logistics operation was coordinated by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which handled end-to-end transport arrangements involving ferry, rail and bus movements.

The agency reportedly worked with more than 60 stakeholders across the UK, Germany and the Netherlands to execute the deployment.

The troops traveled aboard King Seaways, one of two ferries operating on the Newcastle-Amsterdam route.

The vessel, built in 1987 and acquired by DFDS in 2006, has capacity for more than 2,200 passengers and can carry up to 600 cars, making it suited for high-volume transport operations.

Army officials said the deployment showed how civilian infrastructure can support military operations and improve readiness.

Brigadier Andrew Watson, commanding officer of 7th Light Mechanised Brigade, said the exercise was meant to prove the brigade could move quickly and deliver combat power as part of NATO’s Advanced Readiness Force. He said it also showed the British Army could work closely with NATO allies.

Exercise Rhino Storm is part of the NATO Steadfast Defender 27 series, which is focused on testing how quickly allied forces can move across Europe.

While the British Army described the charter as its first such use in more than 20 years, military use of civilian ferries has deep historical precedent.

Britain relied on civilian vessels during both World Wars, including the evacuation at Dunkirk and support for the D-Day landings. Civilian ferries were also used during the Falklands War, operations in Bosnia and Kosovo, and the Iraq War in 2003.

Reference: British Army