The ship is now en route to the port of Djibouti where on 6 August the German Rear Admiral Jὓrgen ZUR Mȕhlen will hand over command of the operation to Rear Admiral Guido Rando of the Italian Navy.
Italy takes command of the operation for the third time since Atalanta was approved by the Council of the European Union in December 2008 to combat the rampant phenomenon of maritime piracy. “At that time the situation in the Indian Ocean was critical. Today, thanks to the intervention of the European, NATO and coalition navies, the greater awareness of merchant units and the use of protection cores, the situation is under control, but it is necessary not to let your guard down: the threat of pirates cannot be underestimated ". This is Admiral Rando's comment a few moments before unmooring.
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Employed by him, as force commander of Task Force 465, currently made up of four frigates (one Dutch, two Spanish and one German) as well as a German team refueling, an international staff made up of 34 officers and non-commissioned officers belonging to 12 different nations (Belgium, Croatia, France, Germany, Greece, Italy, Latvia, Holland, Portugal, Romania, Serbia and Spain).
Nave Andrea Doria, under the command of the vessel captain Gianfranco Annunziata, has a crew of 208 men and women including the specialized teams of the San Marco marine brigade, the underwater operating group and the helicopter section, which will have an EH 101 helicopter.
On Monday, the commander in chief of the naval team, team admiral Filippo Maria Foffi, personally greeted the crew of the Doria ship, a moment of meeting to signify the importance of the mission for the navy and for our country. The navy is currently present in the Horn of Africa with the destroyer Francesco Mimbelli engaged since 6 February in the NATO operation "Ocean Shield" to combat piracy.
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Source: Military Navy
