ITS Andrea Doria tackles piracy in Indian Ocean. The Italian navy destroyer is the Flag Ship in the European Union's operation Atalanta, a comprehensive approach to reduce Somali-based piracy in the western Indian Ocean. See more at: http://gulfnews.com/gntv
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00:00The Italian Navy destroyer ICS Andrea Doria is the flagship for Operation Atalanta, the
00:17European Union's operation aimed at preventing Somali-based piracy and armed robbery at sea
00:23off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean.
00:27Equipped with state-of-the-art technology, the ship and its crew are dedicated to keeping
00:32shipping routes free from criminal activity.
00:34ICS Doria is participating in the mission, the Atalanta mission, the European maritime
00:43naval mission against the piracy in the Gulf of Aden and Somali Basin.
00:48The ICS Doria is a modern ship, 150 metres long, 7,000 tonnes.
00:55What we mainly do during anti-piracy operation is patrolling.
01:00Another important aspect of this patrolling is maintaining a good contact with all the
01:05other ships that operate in the area of operation, which is a very big area of operation.
01:11So we need to be capable of being in contact with many ships from different countries,
01:17from different coalition forces, even very far away.
01:21So we need a very high level of telecommunication capabilities, which this ship has.
01:27Another important thing is having a helicopter, which is an important asset to maintain maritime
01:34awareness.
01:35That is to say, we need to know exactly what's going on around us.
01:39We need to know if a small boat is a fishing boat or is doing something different.
01:48Many times in the past, having a helicopter on board has meant a tremendous asset to immediately
01:55react to a threat, because a helicopter can be deployed very fast, in short time and very
02:02far away from the ship.
02:03This way increasing enormously the area that we can patrol only by one ship.
02:11Since the start of Operation Atalanta in 2008, the European Union's naval force has made
02:17a significant contribution to the reduction in piracy.
02:20However, there is still a need for continued collaboration from the international community
02:25to help stamp out the threat of piracy.
02:28The private sector since the beginning has recognized that there was the need for a coalition,
02:34I would say a coalition of those who wanted to really make sure that the sea lanes are
02:41free.
02:43Are free for navigation, are free for the commerce, and the private sector has introduced
02:49what are called best management practices.
02:52And these best management practices are the best, if you want, ally and contribution from
02:57the private sector to the job of the navies.
03:00The composition of forces is not only by European Union countries, but also by other countries.
03:05New Zealand that send one aircraft that we are using, other forces from NATO, from combined
03:13maritime forces, from other countries that act independently, like China, Japan, South
03:21Korea, India, and so on.
03:23So there is a big effort, but there is also, I must say, a big cooperation between us.
03:29And that is, I think, a key factor of the improving the situation.
03:35While patrolling and naval intervention from ships like the ITS Andrea Doria play an important
03:41role in reducing piracy, the European Union's operations are also dedicated to combating
03:47the root causes of the problem on land.
03:50The solution of the problem of piracy lies ashore.
03:54And we must grant better conditions for the people.
03:59We must grant to the government of Somalia to have the means and the capabilities to
04:05control the territory, the territorial waters.
04:09And we must enforce the rule of law in that country.
04:15Only at that stage, I think that the problem of piracy will be behind us.
04:21On shore, still a lot has to be invested in terms of helping Somalia to rebuild their
04:28state, rebuild their state, and therefore rebuilding the internal security forces,
04:34and therefore be more able to control the activities that are ongoing in their countries.
04:40Once this will be done, then we will all be in a much more comfortable situation.
04:46So today, the situation has improved, but we cannot yet declare it as mission accomplished.
04:52With much work still to be done on land and at sea, the men and women on board the ITS
04:58Andrea Doria remain dedicated to keeping the ocean safe from pirates.
05:04The crew are really proud to be part of this operation.
05:08They believe they are doing something important for the international community, for their
05:15families at home, and therefore I believe they're proud to be here.
05:23And this is the main feeling that I can sense in my crew.