A U.S. Marine prepares to load equipment onto the Royal Netherlands Navy landing platform dock ship HNLMS Rotterdam (L800) for Africa Partnership Station (APS) in Rota, Spain, Aug. 30, 2013. APS is an international security cooperation initiative facilitated by Commander, U.S. Naval Forces Europe-Africa aimed at strengthening global maritime partnerships through training and collaborative activities in order to improve maritime safety and security in Africa.