The commander of the Korean naval group Escort Task Group 17, Captain Sun-Woo Hwang and the commander of the Japanese Second Escort Division, Captain Masatoshi Kashihara were received on board by Rear Admiral Guido Rando, commander of the Atalanta task force and by the commander of the unit, ship captain Angelo Virdis.
The meeting with the commander of the Chinese Escort Task Group 547 Rear Admiral Jiang Gouping, on the other hand, took place on board the Linyi frigate, on which the delegation of Eunavfor and ship Doria moved with an EH101.
During all the meetings, the common desire to share lessons and experiences gained in the fight against piracy in the Somali basin area emerged, where the Chinese, Korean and Japanese military units are mainly engaged in the escort of merchant ships along the IRTC, the recommended transit corridor for crossing the Gulf of Aden.
Rear Admiral Rando in the meeting with the commander of the Japanese division, Masatoshi Kashihara, underlined how "further strengthening cooperation with the forces present in the area that fight the phenomenon of piracy is the key to lasting success", a success that also passes through a greater commitment to Local Maritime Capacity Building (LMCB) activities, with the aim of strengthening the capacities of the regional states in the area of operations to guarantee maritime safety in the area with their own assets.
The meetings and the fruitful exchange of information ended with a visit to the flagship Andrea Doria for the Korean and Japanese delegations while Admiral Rando and Commander Virdis had the opportunity to visit the Chinese frigate that will remain in the Gulf of Aden until April.
Nave Doria will continue its activity as part of the European Atalanta mission until 13 February when it will hand over command to a Swedish admiral on board the Dutch unit, Johan De Witt, after more than 6 months.
Source: Military Navy
