Thursday 19 October, at the end of the logistics stop in the port of Muscat (Oman), the Italian frigate Virginio Fasan, flag unit of the European Operation Atalanta, was engaged in a training activity at sea with the corvette Al Shinas of the Royal Navy of Oman.
As part of this exercise, the two ships carried out various activities including a simulation of evacuation of a wounded man from the corvette Al Shinas, employing the SH-90 helicopter embarked on the Italian unit, a series of cinematic maneuvers between the two ships and a practical exercise of "boarding operations" which saw the Omani ship simulate a merchant unit on which the helicopter and minor means of ship Fasan with the team of the San Marco marine brigade that simulated boarding the ship, putting into practice the procedures to carry out the documentary check, the personnel and the load of the unit.
The activity proved to be an excellent opportunity to confirm the strong ties of collaboration between the European forces of the operation Atalanta and the Omani Navy, concluding a series of appointments started during the stop in the port of Muscat, which saw rear-admiral Fabio Gregori, with the presence of the deputy commander of the operation Atalanta, Admiral A. Perez De Nanclares, to meet with important military and governmental authorities of the Sultanate of Oman.
Ship Virginio Fasan has been engaged for three months in the waters of the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden, in command of the European air forces of Operation EUNAVFOR Atalanta, with the operation commander on board, rear-admiral Fabio Gregori. Its main mission is to guarantee the safety of maritime traffic in transit in the region, acting in contrast to the phenomenon of piracy in the Horn of Africa.
But, as in this case, the operation Atalanta also represents an excellent opportunity to get in touch with other Marines operating in the region: after training activities with naval units of the French National Navy, the Republic of South Korea Navy and the Indian Navy, this last training with the Oman Navy represented an excellent time to share operational procedures and strengthen international cooperation ties in the context of "Maritime Security", ie in those activities aimed at guaranteeing the safety of maritime traffic and freedom of navigation.
