Last September 3rd, at the headquarters of XNUMXth coastal naval group, in the port of Sharm El-Sheikh, in the evocative setting of the southern coast of the Sinai peninsula, in Egypt, the turnover ceremony of the commanders of the four coastal patrol boats of the third naval division of the Navy, engaged in the mission of peace Multinational Force & Observers (MFO).
In the presence of the chief of staff of the third division, captain Salvatore Damiano and the commander of the XNUMXth coastal naval group, frigate captain Carlo Saverio D'Apote, lieutenants Danilo Dallocchio, Marco Pilade, Ambra Francolini and Francesco Mezzani have officially passed the baton of command of their respective units - Ship Explorer, Ship Sentinel, Ship look-out of the Ship Relay - to the lieutenants Antonio Bruno, Domenico Mileti, Carlo Conte and Vincenzo Mazzella.
At the end of the review by the military authorities of the entire contingent of the Navy deployed on the ground, in the square in front of the mooring of the ships, the ceremony continued on board each of the four units named "Desert Ships", where the new commanders were formally recognized by their respective crews. This is a historic event: for the first time in 25 years, all four units of the class Explorer they were simultaneously deployed in the operational theatre, as evidence of the continuous and growing commitment that the Navy and therefore Italy has ensured in this territory since 1982.
The flag lowering ceremony, the reading of the sailor's prayer and the national anthem sung by the crews of the units and the personnel of the national contingent, lined up in front of the flag, gave appropriate solemnity to the event.
Following this, the captain of the vessel Salvatore Damiano took the opportunity to express, on behalf of the entire naval team, his appreciation for the contribution and commitment made by the Italian contingent, the only naval component of the MFO, and underlined with emphasis on the crucial role that these units play in preserving freedom of navigation and transit along the Strait of Tiran and in the Gulf of Aqaba, in line with the provisions of the 1979 Camp David peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The new commanders have the delicate task of continuing to pursue the objectives of the mission in "Observing", "Verifying" and "Reporting" (OVR) possible violations of the Peace Treaty and supporting local authorities to protect the marine environment.
