The Allgarvex exercise took place off the coast of Portimão and Lagos on May 6 and 7.

On May 6 and 7, two ships from the Portuguese Navy and one from the British Royal Navy, stationed in Gibraltar, conducted a two-day military training exercise involving marines off the Algarve coast.

Named “Allgarvex”, the exercise was organised by the Southern Maritime Zone Command and took place in Portimão and Lagos.

NRP Cassiopeia, NRP Hidra, and the Boarding Detachment of Portuguese Navy Fusiliers participated in military training with the British Royal Navy ship Gibraltar Squadron, HMS Cutlass.

The exercise involved simulating approaches to suspicious vessels, especially those involved in drug trafficking or illegal immigration, with live ammunition being used.

According to the Navy, the objective was to “share knowledge of naval operations, which require a prompt execution response to threats through fast and flexible means for a broad spectrum of tasks, such as asymmetric warfare, approach to suspicious ships and self-protection procedures, when sailing in confined and coastal areas”.

To uphold readiness standards for correctly performing emergency procedures on board, healthy competition was promoted among the participating ships. This included exercises such as man overboard manoeuvres, artillery firing, towing, and precise positioning in formation.