Rear Admiral Fabrizio Rutteri has assumed tactical command of the European Union operation EUNAVFOR (European Naval Force) Atalanta, now in its 44th rotation, replacing Rear Admiral Juan María Ibáñez Martín of the Spanish Navy.
The handover ceremony took place on July 17 in the port of Djibouti aboard the Spanish frigate Navarre and was presided over byoperation commanderVice Admiral José María Núñez Torrente.
Admiral Rutteri will exercise the functions of force commander of Task Force 465 from Ship Luigi Durand de la Penne, designated unit Flagshipuntil next December.
The operation Atalanta aims to prevent and repress acts of piracy in the area of operations, which includes the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and the Somali Basin, also guaranteeing the protection of the merchant units of the World Food Program (WFP), transporting humanitarian aid to Somalia and Yemen.
Ship Durand de la Penne it will fulfill the traditional tasks of the Navy, ensuring police functions on the high seas aimed at defending freedom of navigation and protecting national interests.
Under the command of vessel captain Paolo Podico, the unit left last July 6 from the port of Taranto and continued sailing towards the Indian Ocean, ensuring patrolling in the eastern Mediterranean and in the Red Sea, in collaboration with the other forces vessels present in the area.
