The Eritrean Navy is a smaller branch of the
Eritrean Defence Forces. It is responsible for the security of the entire coastline of
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
, more than 1,100 km, as well as the Eritrean territorial waters.
History
The Eritrean Navy of today is said to have been an outgrowth of the
Eritrean Liberation Front's sea transport operations early in the
Eritrean War of Independence.
This continued as a part of the
Eritrean People's Liberation Front (EPLF) after the split of the organizations. After the Second Congress of the EPLF an offensive force was proposed and created with a base in Sudan.
These forces played a critical role at the
Battle of Massawa when they sank several Ethiopian warships in the harbor.
At the close of the Eritrean War of Independence, the balance of the
Ethiopian Navy was inherited by this naval force.
Currently
Since independence the Eritrean Navy has expanded its fleet of high-speed patrol boats. This branch of the Eritrean Defence Forces served with distinction under the command of
Tewolde Kelati. The current Commander of the Eritrean Naval Forces is Major General
Hummed Ahmed Karikare. The Eritrean Naval Forces Headquarters is in
Massawa
Massawa ( ; ti, ምጽዋዕ, məṣṣəwaʿ; gez, ምጽዋ; ar, مصوع; it, Massaua; pt, Maçuá) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak ...
.
Through Proclamation 104 the Eritrean Navy is empowered by the
Ministry of the Fisheries to enforce fisheries-related laws on behalf of the Ministry.
Naval ships
Weapons
*
Gabriel SSM
* SS-N-2
Styx
In Greek mythology, Styx (; grc, Στύξ ) is a river that forms the boundary between Earth (Gaia) and the Underworld. The rivers Acheron, Cocytus, Lethe, Phlegethon, and Styx all converge at the centre of the underworld on a great marsh, whic ...
SSM
Facilities
*
Massawa
Massawa ( ; ti, ምጽዋዕ, məṣṣəwaʿ; gez, ምጽዋ; ar, مصوع; it, Massaua; pt, Maçuá) is a port city in the Northern Red Sea region of Eritrea, located on the Red Sea at the northern end of the Gulf of Zula beside the Dahlak ...
- Naval HQ
*
Assab
Assab or Aseb (, ) is a port city in the Southern Red Sea Region of Eritrea. It is situated on the west coast of the Red Sea.
Languages spoken in Assab are predominantly Afar, Tigrinya, and Arabic. Assab is known for its large market, beaches an ...
- ship repair facility
*
Embaticalla - former marine commando training school
*
Dahlak
References
Military of Eritrea
Eritrea
Eritrea ( ; ti, ኤርትራ, Ertra, ; ar, إرتريا, ʾIritriyā), officially the State of Eritrea, is a country in the Horn of Africa region of Eastern Africa, with its capital and largest city at Asmara. It is bordered by Ethiopia ...
{{Eritrea-stub