In the afternoon of March 25, in the waters of the Gulf of Guinea, an anti-piracy exercise was held involving the motor ship Great Congo of the Grimaldi Group, the Italian Confederation of Shipowners (CONFITARMA), the operations center of the Navy at the command in chief of the naval team (CINCNAV), the IMRCC operations center of the general command of the CP Corps - Coast Guard (MARICOGECAP), the headquarters operational of the Grimaldi Group in Naples and the frigate Luigi Rizzo of the Navy.
Despite the decrease in attacks recorded globally in the last year, the Gulf of Guinea represents the main hotspot of this phenomenon and an area of particular strategic and economic interest for our country both for the numerous trade exchanges with countries in the region , which in terms of energy supply. The need to guarantee a constant presence in the Area is a determining factor in safeguarding national interests and the units in transit in the area.Not finding raw materials could cause damage to the entire commercial chain with increases in the price of basic necessities. and consequent economic repercussions also at the national level. For these reasons, the operations of presence, surveillance and maritime surveillance that the Navy has been carrying out since 2020 in this area, in order to contribute to the safeguarding of freedom of navigation, the safety and protection of merchant ships along the main lines of maritime communications (Sea Lines Of Communication - SLOC), are of vital interest for the entire community.
Within the various dislocations of units of the Navy, in order to consolidate and increase the effectiveness of the alarm and intervention procedures in the event of piracy events, specific exercises are constantly planned aimed at testing both the communication flows and the interaction with all national stakeholders in the event of an attack.
In an extremely realistic operational scenario, one of these exercises took place on 25 March. In particular, an attempt to board the ship was simulated Great Congo of the Grimaldi Group by a group of pirates. The exercise began with the activation by the attacked merchant of the automatic safety alarm system (SSAS - Ship Security Alert System), which sent a danger signal to the IMRCC center of the Coast Guard, at the general command of the Corps of the Port Authorities in Rome, which proceeded to inform the operations center of the Navy (COMM) that it ordered the intervention of Nave Rizzo, a unit engaged in an anti-piracy, presence, surveillance and maritime security mission in the Gulf of Guinea conducted by the Navy and called "Gabinia" under the operational control of the command in chief of the naval team (CINCNAV). activated the operational intervention plans while the COMM provided the Maritime Situational Awareness, that is the set of all information relating to the maritime situation in the area. Fundamental actions for understanding the surrounding situation and for identifying the best tactics to adopt for effective intervention at sea. Also the COMM has suddenly issued the danger notices in the area in favor of all national merchant ships, issuing the necessary Sailing Information through its own cell Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS).
Having received the alarm, in coordination with the CSO (Company Security Officer) of the shipping company and with CONFITARMA, the Coast Guard, for its part, immediately processed the first news received by activating a specific satellite surveillance procedure through the monitoring systems of the maritime traffic, thus identifying all national merchant ships sailing in the vicinity of the event area.
It is thanks to this efficient and articulated coordination that, in the event of a real event, it is possible to react promptly to any emergency situation.
In the meantime, on board the merchant vessel, the commander started the procedures provided for in the onboard safety plan, initially arranging for the crew to be sheltered inside the citadel, a safe area of the ship, while he and the helmsman remained on deck to ensure the government of the Unit. At the time of the simulated boarding of the pirates, the commander and the helmsman, before stopping the machines, rejoined the rest of the crew in the citadel from where, in addition to the control of the freighter, communications with Nave Luigi Rizzo were ensured, and realistically tested, which, in the meantime, quickly reached the freighter in order to intervene and counter the attack. The naval projection force, a combination made up of the same military ship, the highly specialized personnel of the marine brigade Saint Mark and the helicopters embarked by the MM, constitutes a single set of elements, with real ability to intervene in critical situations as the main safeguard of the crews subjected to attacks.
It is emphasized that the exercise, in line with the provisions in force for the protection and safeguarding from Covid-19, was carried out without physical interaction between the crews of its units involved, while realism was guaranteed through the actual operations carried out. at sea with the staff of the Saint Mark and flight operations conducted with the helicopter on board, as well as through radiotelephone communications between the captains of the ships and the operations center of the MM
Once again, the exercise showed the constant professionalism and competence of the commander and the crew of the Great Congo, testifying to the significant results obtained by the national armament thanks to the huge investments made to train crews to face difficult and stressful situations, typical of piracy attacks, which often see seafarers as the main "victims".
The exercise confirmed the consolidated synergy achieved between the Navy, MARICOGECAP, CONFITARMA and the Grimaldi Group, as well as the important presence and surveillance action carried out by the national military naval units in an area of crucial strategic interest for the safeguarding of interests seafarers of the country.
