On Wednesday 10 June 2015 Italian warship, ITS Grecale, set course for her home port of La Spezia after completing a four-month deployment with the EU’s counter- piracy mission, Operation Atalanta, off the coast of Somalia.
During her deployment, ITS Grecale carried out numerous counter-piracy patrols off the Somali coast and met local fishermen at sea. The patrols helped to keep the Gulf of Aden and Indian Ocean safer for seafarers, with the meetings helping to build mutual trust and understanding between naval forces and local fishermen.
During her deployment ITS Grecale also played a key role in supporting the EU’s comprehensive approach to the Horn of Africa by assisting EU sister mission, EUCAP Nestor, to provide training to local maritime forces in the region.