Started yesterday 22 in May 2017, from the Port of Catania, the four inflatable boats that the Navy sold for free to the Federal Republic of Somalia, destined for the Somali Security Forces to ensure patrolling of ports and coasts.
The initiative was made possible thanks to the bilateral talks established between the Italian Ministry of Defense and the Federal Republic of Somalia and aims to favor the reconstruction process and the consolidation of the peace and stabilization processes of the African country within the mission of the 'European Union "EUTM Somalia" for the Regional maritime capacity building from the Horn of Africa and the western Indian Ocean.
The four vessels, originally an integral part of the Navy equipment, are equipped with a rigid keel and are equipped with high power engines capable of reaching high speeds (up to 40 knots) and transporting up to 15 people, so as to ensure the patrolling of maritime spaces near the Somali coasts.
The transit in this area is in fact still considered a risk for the safety of navigation and that is why the area continues today to be patrolled by various national and international naval assets, including those of the anti-piracy operation Eunavfor Atalanta, the European Union mission to which the Espero frigate of the Navy has been part since last March 25.
