With the return of the offshore patrol boat Commander Borsini last December 18 in Augusta ends for 2022 the presence of the Italian Navy in the Gulf of Guinea, a presence that will resume soon, as early as January 2023.
Contributing to the achievement of the objectives set by Operation Gabinia, first of all the fight against the phenomenon of piracy, were the frigates Rizzo and Marceglia and the Offshore Patrol Comandante Borsini, which alternated in three different rotations, reaching over 230 days of navigation and covering more than 40,000 nautical miles.
Effective interventions in the area carried out by the various units such as that of Nave Borsini in the last period in rescue of the tanker B. OCEAN (with the flag of the Marshall Islands) remained adrift, about 300 miles from the coast, after being attacked by a group of pirates, or, the actions carried out by the frigate Luigi Rizzo in April, in order to dissuade pirates from continuing their illegal activity against the merchant ship “Arch Gabriel” (Marshall Islands).
The Italian Navy has thus guaranteed the presence and surveillance in an area considered among the most dangerous in the world for navigation due to the growing number of piracy attacks against maritime merchant traffic but, at the same time, of vital strategic importance for the country and for international trade.
During the mission, the Italian Navy Units conducted cooperation activities with local and allied Navies present in the region, with the aim of increasing the level of cooperation with the Navies of the coastal countries.
The various exercises developed with national shipping companies, whose merchant ships often sail the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, have made it possible to achieve new standards of interoperability and favored the raising of the level of safety in the region.
A 360-degree commitment carried out by the men and women of the Italian Navy, who have worked in this area also in support of important collaboration projects with significant social and humanitarian value, alongside associations such as the Francesca Rava NPH Italia Onlus Foundation. Collaborations that, thanks also to the support of the Italian diplomatic authorities, have allowed the supply of health equipment for some African hospitals.
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