Morocco and Algeria Sail Their Frigates in the Same Formation in the Mediterranean
The Moroccan frigate Mohammed V and the Algerian Erradii are sailing in the same military formation in the Mediterranean. The two vessels are participating in Phoenix Express 2026, a multinational exercise led by the US Sixth Fleet off the coast of Tunisia.
Images published on September 15 by the US Navy show the Royal Navy’s Mohammed V frigate and the Algerian navy’s Erradii as part of a formation of six vessels. The photographs were taken three days earlier in the Mediterranean.
The two North African vessels are operating alongside the Turkish frigate Gaziantep, the Tunisian patrol vessel Sophonisbe, the French vessel Achéron and the Italian patrol vessel Vega. The Mohammed V, bearing hull number 611, is a Floréal-class surveillance frigate.
On Bladi.net : article 89086
The simultaneous presence of the two frigates is particularly significant given relations between Rabat and Algiers. The two countries severed diplomatic relations in August 2021, and their land border has remained closed since 1994.
This is not, however, a bilateral Moroccan-Algerian exercise. The two navies are taking part alongside 13 countries assembled for the same multinational exercise. The Royal Navy had already participated in a previous edition of Phoenix Express in 2021.
Six ships involved in the at-sea phase
The naval phase of Phoenix Express 2026 began on September 11, with the vessels departing from the Tunisian bases of Bizerte and La Goulette. Six of the thirteen participating countries deployed a ship: Morocco, Algeria, France, Italy, Tunisia and Turkey.
The crews use regional maritime operations centers to share information in real time and establish a common view of the situation at sea. The training also focuses on coordination between the ships and shore-based centers, as well as responses to simulated maritime threats.
The exercise is sponsored by the United States Africa Command, AFRICOM, and led by the Sixth Fleet under the authority of the US Naval Forces Africa. Military personnel from the other seven countries are working ashore or aboard the participating vessels.
On Bladi.net : US and Morocco Conduct Joint Naval Exercise "Atlas Handshake" Off African Coast
Phoenix Express is one of the main exercises organized by Washington with the navies of North Africa. Morocco already maintains regular cooperation with the US Navy, with which it has notably conducted several joint naval exercises.
The September sequence nevertheless offers an unusual image: despite the political rupture between the two neighbors, the Mohammed V and Erradii frigates are sailing in the same formation and participating in the same maritime security scenarios.