Practice anti-piracy in waters of the Gulf of Guinea



Yesterday in waters of the Gulf of Guinea a practice has been carried out anti-piracy that has involved the ship Great Cotonou of the Grimaldi group, the Italian Confederation Shipping (Confitarma), Operating Headquarters of the Command in Head of Naval Team (CINCNAV), operating headquarters IMRCC of the General Command of the body of the Harbour offices - Guard Costiera (MARICOGECAP), the operating center of the Grimaldi group to Naples and the frigate multirole Luigi Rizzo of Marina Militare Italiana.

The Gulf of Guinea is interested by an increasing number of attacks of piracy in confronts in transit of the cargo vessels in the area and, because of the recrudescence of such threat, from last year Marina Militare is carrying out operations apt to contribute to the safeguard of the navigation freedom, to safety and the protection of the cargo vessels long the main marine lines of communication. Al fine to test the procedures of alarm and participation in case of piracy events, already from last year comes programmed detailed lists aimed practices to test the safety procedures in vigor being verified is the flows of communications with all the national subjects interested that operating and tactical interaction between the ship of present Marina Militare in area and the national ship from time to time interested.

Within this series of practices, yesterday an attempt of boarding regarding the Great Cotonou by a group of pirates is simulated. The practice has had beginning with the activation by the attacked cargo vessel of the robot system of alarm of safety (SSAS - Ship Security Alert System), that it has forwarded a danger signal to Headquarters IMRCC of Guard Costiera near the General Command of the Body of the Harbour offices to Rome. In parallel the cargo vessel has informed the Luigi Rizzo frigate that has quickly activated the plans of operating participation and of coordination with Navy of the allied nations partner and you anticipate in the region. Moreover operating Headquarters of Marina, near CINCNAV, have supplied Maritime the Situational Awareness, that is with of all the relative information to the marine situation in the area let alone the activation of the contacts with Operating Headquarters of local Navy and with all Navy that had orders in a position to being able to take part. Operating Headquarters of Marina therefore have diffused the warnings of dangerousness in the area in favor of all national the mercantile ships, emanating the due Sailing Informations through own articulation Naval Cooperation and Guidance for Shipping (NCAGS).

Received alarm SSAS, in coordination with the CSO (Company Officer Security) of the company owner of a shipping company and with Confitarma, Guard Costiera has immediately tried the first news received activating a specific procedure of surveillance satellite through the systems of monitoring of the marine traffic, characterizing all so national the mercantile ships in navigation in proximity of the area of the event. Meantime, on board of the cargo vessel, the commander has started the procedures previewed from the plan of edge safety, having arranged initially the shelter of the crew inside of the citadel, a sure zone of the ship, while same it and the helmsman remained on the bridge in order to assure the government of the unit. Al moment of the simulated boarding of the pirates the commander and the helmsman, before to stop the cars, have met to the remainder of the crew in the citadel from where, besides the control of the cargo vessel, they have been insured persons, and realistically tried, the communications with the Luigi Rizzo ship whom, as soon as received the operating dispositions by CINCNAV, the cargo vessel to the aim has quickly reached to take part and to contrast I attack it with the main objective of safeguard of the crew and, at the same time, activating the channels of operating coordination with Navy partner and allied you anticipate in zone.