This morning the European Multi Mission frigate (FREMM) Luigi Rizzo took over the role of Flag Ship of the European Union Naval Force Operation - Somalia named Atalanta, a naval mission of the European Union that operates in an area between the southern Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden and part of the Indian Ocean, to ensure the presence, surveillance and police on the high seas aimed at combating piracy.
On board the frigate of the Italian Navy, Rear Admiral Riccardo Marchiò replaced Rear Admiral Ignacio Villanueva Serrano of the Spanish Navy in command of the operation.
Under his command, the Air-Naval Task Force will ensure patrolling in the areas of interest and in the transit corridors of merchant units and the fight against piracy, in collaboration with the other maritime forces present in the area.
At the end of an intense period of technical work in preparation for the operational commitment in the Horn of Africa, before the departure from the La Spezia base, the handover ceremony between the ship's commanders took place on board, at the end of which, on 13 August, the unit dropped its moorings and turned its bow towards the Suez Canal, under the command of the frigate captain Dario Castelli.
Ship Luigi Rizzo participates for the first time in this mission, in an area that has seen the commitment of Nave in recent months Carlo Bergamini.
During the transfer to the Suez Canal, a refueling was carried out at sea with Nave Etna. An excellent training moment for both the crews of the two units and for the pupil marshals of the non-commissioned officer school of Taranto who, aboard Etna, were able to take part in the activity.
The Suez crossing represents the first transit by ship Rizzo in the Red Sea.
With the Sinai peninsula as a backdrop, the FREMM also crossed at sea the patrol vessels of the 10th Coastal Naval Group (COMGRUPNAVCOST 10), a national contribution to the Multinational Force & Observers (MFO), for a brief interaction in the context of logistical support activities .
The "Atalanta" operation, decided by the European Council in November 2008, was the first European-led maritime military operation, born with the aim of preventing and repressing acts of piracy in the Horn of Africa area. (Gulf of Aden and Somali basin) which continue to represent a latent threat to the freedom of navigation of merchant traffic and in particular to the transport of humanitarian aid from the World Food Program (WFP) in Somalia and Yemen.
During the operation the crew of Nave Rizzo it will also be engaged in Civilian and Military Cooperation (CiMiC) activities, in order to provide support and basic necessities to local populations in compliance with the anti-COVID restrictions in force.
Ship Luigi Rizzo and his crew will be engaged in the Horn of Africa area until next December.
