about us

The NATO Maritime Interdiction Operational Training Centre (NMIOTC) is the only NATO Education & Training Facility (NETF) dedicated to the maritime domain. Officially established in 2008, is quality-assurance unconditionally accredited by Allied Command Transformation. Funded by Greece and multinationally manned, the Centre is located at the north-west of Crete, at the Akrotiri peninsula, in the northern area of Souda Bay, near the city of Chania, inside Hellenic Navy’s Souda Naval Base.
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NMIOTC Program of Work
vision of the commandant
further develop NMIOTC as NATO’s primary Education and Training hub for the maritime dimension of projecting stability

My vision is to further develop the concept of NMIOTC as a hub for the maritime dimension of projecting stability. To this end, we are undertaking a series of mid and long-term initiatives, such as establishing new individual and collective training products.
latest news
Course 1000 “Command Team MIO Issues”
From 08 to 12 September 2025, NMIOTC conducted the 2nd annual iteration of the NATO-approved Course 1000 “Command Team MIO Issues”. The aim of the course is to assist Staff Officers and Naval Units’ Command Teams in the efficient application of NATO standards in planning and execution of Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO). This comprehensive training package offers in-depth understanding of MIO through both theory and practical simulator-based application. Thirteen (13) trainees from seven (7) NATO & Partner Nations (Azerbaijan, Bahrain, Greece, Jordan, Slovenia, Tunisia and Ukraine) attended the course.
ROS ‘Regina Maria’ Command & Boarding Team trained before deployment on OSG
Between 01 and 05 September 2025, in advance of the Romanian Navy’s frigate “Regina Maria” (ROS F222) deployment under NATO Operation Sea Guardian (OSG), NMIOTC delivered a five-day tailored training programme for a 20-member boarding team and a 10-member command team. The training was designed to enhance operational readiness in Maritime Interdiction Operations (MIO), with a particular focus on Visit, Board, Search, and Seizure (VBSS) capabilities, Close Quarter Combat techniques, Legal framework and considerations, Rules of Engagement (ROE), and NATO-standard procedures applicable to MIO environment. In conjunction with the training activities, Captain George-Victor DUREA ROU-N, Chief of Staff, Romanian Navy
NMIOTC’s Mobile Education and Training Team (METT) Exercise “BREEZE 25”
From 12th to 13th July 2025, NMIOTC delivered a Visit Board Search and Seizure (VBSS) tailored training with a Mobile Education and Training Team (METT) to participants of the Exercise BREEZE 25, in Varna, Bulgaria. In total, twenty four (24) participants from BGR’s and ROU’s Navy Boarding Teams received the aforementioned training.