On board ship Rizzo, in the presence of the force commander of the "Agenor" operation, rear admiral Mauro Panebianco, the handover ceremony took place between the ceding commander, frigate captain Valerio di Giammatteo and the Parigrade Catia Pellegrino.
The naval unit, as part of the EMASoH (European Maritime Awareness in the Strait of Hormuz) international mission, is in a logistical stop at the port of Dubai.
Leaving from La Spezia on 20 April last, the FREMM was used without interruption, fulfilling the delicate task of flagship of the internationally led mission operating in the Strait of Hormuz.
These are the numbers that characterized the deployment of Nave Rizzo in the operation under the leadership of Commander Di Giammatteo: 105 days of continuous operational activity, about 60 flight hours for reconnaissance, about 100 merchant units of European and national interest to which the unit guaranteed close support.
FREMM's commitment, however, was more far-reaching.
Arrived in area of operations, Ship Rizzo has taken part in important multi-national events, catalysts of the growing interest in the area by international stakeholders, including the operation Compass Rose, in the context of Combined Maritime Forces.
In the wake of the traditional role of naval diplomacy played by the Navy, the long period of international activities carried out by the Unit has in fact represented a propitious occasion for the consolidation of relations with the Navies and Gulf Countries, as well as with industry and the community of Italians residing abroad.
