On a sunny afternoon, April 20, the Carabiniere ship crosses the island of Tino towards its mooring in the military base. A crowd of relatives awaits her on the quay, along with the commander of the First Naval Group, rear-admiral Francesco Sollitto who, at the end of 6 months of anti-piracy activity in the Indian Ocean, from the welcome back home to the crew.
Il Carabiniere, under the command of frigate captain Francesco Saladino, left Taranto on 9 October. The ship held for 155 days, under the leadership of the force commander, Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri, embarked on the Italian frigate with an international staff, the role of flagship of the anti-piracy mission Atalanta.
The mission is attended by Spanish, German, Dutch air and naval vehicles and a Lithuanian team, boarded on a ship of the World Food Program - that since 2008 has been operating in the Indian Ocean for the safety of maritime traffic, to protect national and international interests.
The ship's crew is made up of 145 soldiers and, during the course of the mission, it has been integrated, as well as with the international staff, with a core of divers of the GOS - Diving Operations Group, a protection team of the San Marco marine brigade and a core of pilots, operators and technicians specialists of the 2nd and 4th Helicopters Group of Grottaglie and Catania.
During the mission, Carabiniere ship has carried out almost 4.000 engine hours and traveled over 34.000 nautical miles.
The frigate has marked important records in terms of military cooperation and multinational exercises, such as the first landing of a helicopter on FREMM Harbin Chinese Z9-C and a Spanish SH 60. It received national and international authorities on board, including President Mattarella and two ministers of the Republic. Collaborations with important navies such as the Chinese, Pakistani, Japanese and South Korean navies have been strengthened.
In addition to anti-piracy activities, the unit has also provided support and social assistance to some disadvantaged sections of the population in Madagascar and Tanzania. Nave Carabiniere has also contributed to promoting, along the Somali coasts, the development of a new induced employment for the population and a new economy linked to fishing, through the support provided to the installation of 25 FADs (Fish Aggregating Devices), aggregation devices fish, a project by United Nations Food and Agriculture Organization (UN FAO) which, for this activity, awarded the ship, and with it the Navy, with a prestigious award.
At the end of Atalantafinally, before starting the return navigation, the Carabiniere ship headed to Qatar, where it took part in the international defense sector exhibition, the DIMDEX 2016 (Doha International Maritime Defense Exhibition) acting as ambassador of shipbuilding and of industrial technology of the country's defense systems.
Well returned Carabiniere ship!
