Operation Atalanta flagship ITS Carabiniere conducted a joint exercise with the French frigate FS Floreal in the waters off Seychelles’ main harbour on February 5, 2016.
The exercise was coordinated by the ships’ commanding officers, Commander François Xavier Waroux and Commander Francesco Saladino. The training tested the ships’ crews and included close-proximity manoeuvres, visual communications, flight operations and helicopter landings.
Rear Admiral Stefano Barbieri , Operation Atalanta’s Force Commander, said: “The cooperation between multi-national navies is critical to counter the piracy threat to maritime routes.”
Having raised her anchor at dawn, ITS Carabiniere steamed to the training area to meet FS Floreal. The French frigate is permanently based in La Réunion, an island in the French insular region in the Indian Ocean, and is tasked with combating piracy, illegal fishing and counter narcotics. After a full day’s exercise, both ships departed the exercise area to continue their respective tasks.
Joint training and exercises such as this strengthen multi-national efforts to deter and disrupt piracy in the Indian Ocean.
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