The Sea Transport (ST) Cell was established when the Sealift Coordination Centre (SCC) was merged with European Airlift Coordination Cell (EACC)into the Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE) in July 2007. The role of the ST Cell is to coordinate sealift requirements in connection with exercises, operations and national standard resupply missions.
This task generates a yearly average of around 20,000 lane metres (LIMS) being moved.
The Sealift Community is based on an established network of experienced and willing members.
As such, the community is very active and helpful to the benefit of all MCCE members, which is also reflected in many of the matches made.
In order to develop both knowledge and personal relations within the Sealift Community, a 2week Manager Maritime Transport Operations Course in Rotterdam is conducted when requirements dictate.
On a regular basis, the ST Cell sends out time schedules for ships operated by our member nations (known as the MCCE Sealift Possibility Chart) and also provides assistance sourcing matches to national requests forwarded to sealift@mcce-mil.com, alongside requests and options offered in the MCCE Sealift Possibility Chart. Please don’t hesitate to contact MCCE ST cell, in case you would like to receive the MCCE Sealift Possibility Chart.
The MCCE ST cell organises three OPS meetings a year. The OPS meetings foster the exchange of information and experience as well as the network among the MCCE member nations and with the MCCE. MCCE ST cell believes that this enhances the identification of developments, challenges, and emerging trends at an early stage and to act accordingly. The next OPS meeting will take place back-to-back with the MCCE IST cell ops meeting in Luxembourg in February 2024.
Sealift Lead Nation(s) Concept for Ex NOBEL JUMP 23
EX Noble Jump 23 took place in spring 2023 in Sardinia, Italy, and aimed to practice and demonstrate deployment from Home Bases to the linked exercise location, as well as operational arrangements with local and regional actors. The exercise also contributed to NATO’s Deterrence and Defence posture in the South of the SACEUR’s AOR.
Upon the MCCE member nations’ request, MCCE ST cell organised movement coordination conference concerning EX Noble Jump 23. As a result of the movement coordination conference, Germany, Luxembourg, Norway and the Netherlands combined their transportation efforts and shared Danish-German Ark project vessels ARK GERMANIA and MAGNOLIA SEWAYS and Dutch vessel MV NEW AMSTERDAM for the deployment to Cagliari, Italy, as well as for the redeployment.
Establishment of Sealift Lead Nation Concept, earlier contact with Host Nation, possibilities offered by the Multinational Sealift Steering Committee (MSSC) and earlier involvement in movement in NATO planning process have been assessed as lessons identified.
Multinational Sealift Steering Committee (MSSC)
To overcome the shortfall in Alliance strategic sealift capabilities nine NATO member nations (Canada, Denmark, Hungary, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain and the United Kingdom) signed an agreement to implement the letter of intent, which resulted in the formation of the Multinational Sealift Steering Committee (MSSC) at the December 2003 meeting of NATO Defence Ministers.
Now the issue of a shortfall in Alliance strategic sealift capabilities is more topical than ever. Due to the continuing disruption in global supply chains, there is a growing and strong demand for sea transport. All RoRo vessels are fully employed at increasing time charter rates and for longer durations. This results in the rapid change of the market for the types of vessels the military prefers to transport military cargo. Moreover, suitable vessels are not readily available.
Via MSSC NATO member nations have pooled their resources to assure access to special ships, giving the Alliance the capability to rapidly transport forces and equipment by sea.
The MSSC includes now 12 NATO Allies, namely Belgium, Croatia, Denmark, France, Germany, Hungary, the Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Slovenia, Turkey and the United Kingdom and provides the Alliance with access to the Sealift Capability Package (SCP), with a total capacity of about 46.300 LIMS.
The Sealift Capability Package (SCP) has been coordinated by the Sealift Coordination Centre (SCC) since its establishment in September 2002. Since July 2007, this role has been taken over by the Movement Coordination Centre Europe (MCCE).
For further information on MSSC see https://www.nato.int/cps/en/natohq/topics_50104.htm.
The ST Cell is operational 24/7 via beneath contact information.
Contact Information:
Telephone: +31 (0)40 206 6043/6044
Cell Phone: + 31 (0)6 1244 7447
Email: sealift@mcce-mil.com