On 12 November, an exercise took place in the Gulf of Oman between two naval units engaged in the EMASoH mission (European-led Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz), the Italian Navy’s Thaon offshore patrol boat Thaon di Revel and the Marine Nationale’s Frigate Aconit.
During the exercise between the two ships, operating in the same area of operation, joint activities were conducted using minor embarked air and naval means. The ships performed close kinematic maneuvers, including lateral refuelling simulations, and radio and optical communications exercises.
The activity was profitable to train the young officers to the maneuver offering, moreover, the opportunity to get to know closely the respective ways of working on board through the exchange of personnel, 5 members for each crew were in fact able to visit the two units during the exercise, in particular the embarkation and disembarkation operations took place both by sea and by helicopter, by winch.
The training activity carried out has also made it possible to refine the interoperability in the use of the different platform and combat equipment and systems embarked on the two units, in line with the aptitude for synergy between European navies and therefore the search for full collaboration even in basins far from the national coasts, not surprisingly in the context of an operation with a European connotation.
The Navies of different countries of the old continent have in fact long been involved in various missions at latitudes and longitudes far from neighboring waters, with a view to preserving the safety and freedom of navigation in international waters or at the straits that connect areas of the high seas.
In this specific historical moment, strongly influenced by the complex dynamics of trade in raw materials and the dramatic issue of the supply of energy resources, the Strait of Hormuz, which has always been a crucial point for international maritime traffic at a trans-regional level, rises to an even more prominent importance for the difficult economic and geo-political balances. The prolonged periods of out-of-area activity by the national naval units, in addition to contributing to the various international commitments for maritime security and international stability and representing an opportunity for the consolidation of relations with the Navies of the region, are in fact further capitalized through the organization and conduct of joint exercises at sea.
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