After 116 days of mission, Ship Caio Duilio has completed its deployment in the Southern Red Sea, the Strait of Bab el Mandeb and the Gulf of Aden, operating under European aegis as the flagship unit of the operation Eunavfor Aspides.
Since 19 February 2024, the date of the start of the operation, European air and naval assets have been working to ensure maritime security and safeguard freedom of navigation along one of the most strategic trade routes between Asia and Europe.
Thanks to meticulous planning and the professionalism of the crews, hundreds of merchant ships safely crossed the high-risk area, escorted at close range.
Ship Duilio has operated on the front line, contributing significantly to the security framework in the area. During his two mandates, he escorted 75 commercial carriers, ensuring the protection of the crews, who on several occasions expressed their gratitude to the Navy.
Among the most significant moments of the last mission, the rescue of a shipwreck victim stands out in the late evening of January 11. During an escort mission for four merchant ships in the Strait of Bab el Mandeb, an operator of the combat operations center He identified, through IR cameras, a man in difficulty on a small boat full of water.
Ship Duilio immediately maneuvered to provide assistance, recovering a Yemeni fisherman, adrift after his boat capsized due to bad weather. After receiving first aid on board, the shipwrecked man was subsequently handed over to the Djiboutian Coast Guard for repatriation.
The gratitude on this man's face when, disembarking from the Italian military unit, he greeted the sailors who had saved his life is the most satisfying thanks for the incessant work of the crews of the Navy ships.
