Italy sends FREMM in Red Sea to protect international trade

The Italian Ministry of Defence announced on 19 December that the Bergamini-class FREMM Frigate Virginio Fasan (F 591) was set to leave “in the next few hours” the Mediterranean Sea to reach the Red Sea and contribute to the protection of the international trade under the national Operation “Mediterraneo Sicuro” (“Secure Mediterranean”).

In the morning of the same day, the Italian Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto and the Secretary of Defense of the United States of America, Lloyd J. Austin III, participated in a video conference focused on the naval mission in the Red Sea for the protection of merchant traffic, according to Naval News.

“During the meeting, the importance of the principle of free navigation was affirmed, the impact on international trade was assessed and possible options for guaranteeing the safety of maritime routes were discussed in order to prevent repercussions on the international economy, with dangerous dynamics on raw material prices,” the press release which was issued by Italian MoD in the afternoon.   

“Italy will do its part, together with the international community, to counter the destabilizing terror activity of the Houthis, which we have already publicly condemned, and to protect the prosperity of trade and guarantee freedom of navigation and international law,”Italian Minister of Defence, Guido Crosetto said following the video conference.

“It is necessary to increase the presence in the area in order to create the conditions for stabilization, avoid ecological disasters and also prevent a resumption of the inflationary push,” continued the Italian Minister of Defence, revealing that “this is why, in the next few hours, Italy will send the FREMM (Fregate Europee Multi-Missione) Virginio Fasan in the Red Sea.”

The same frigate was already under deployment in the Eastern-South area of the Mediterranean Sea as part of the national Operation “Mediterraneo Sicuro” since the early stage of the Middle East crisis induced by the terror attack of Hamas against Israel. In addition to the Virginio Fasan, Italy sent the Carlo Margottini (F 592) FREMM and previously the Paolo Thaon di Revel (P 430) first-of-class PPA in the Eastern Mediterranean for the same crisis followed by the San Giusto (L 9894) LPD and more recently the Vulcano (A 5335) LSS (Logistic Support Ship). The latter is currently in the Al Arish port, in Egypt near the Egyptian/Palestinian border at Rafah, embarking a NATO Role 2 hospital facility with Joint Armed Forces medical personnel alongside Francesca Rava non profit foundation and Qatari doctors involved in medical support of the Palestinian population.

No participation to “Prosperity Guardian”

A follow-on press statement issued on the same day specified that the Italian Navy’s FREMM Virginio Fasan will participate to the international effort to protect the international trade passing through the Horn of Africa’s waters, “within the scope of the already authorized and approved by the Italian Parliament national Operation “Mediterraneo Sicuro” and not as part of the Operation “Prosperity Guardian”. The deployment of the Virginio Fasan in the Red Sea “responds to a specific request of protection of national interests, coming from the Italian shipowners,” highlighted the same statement. However the Italian Navy frigate has means and capabilities to cooperate with allied and partner navies in the area. Maritime complexity requires federative and mutual support in order to be properly managed. Italy is a partner nation of the multinational Combined Maritime Forces (CMF) and working in different coalition and allied context, coordinating and cooperating as usual with other allied and friend naval forces.

The Virginio Fasan was already tasked to deploy in the same area in February 2024 as flagship of the EUNAVFOR Operation “Atalanta”, as the Italian MoD and Navy is contributing since the establishing of the same EU mission. The most recent scheduled participation to the Operation “Atalanta”, showed Italian Navy’s Durand de la Penne (D 560) as flagship of the same operation from 17 July to 3 December 2023 alongside the Force Commander Rear Admiral Fabrizio Rutteri, leaving their appointments before the beginning of the Houthis attacks.

About Virginio Fasan Frigate

The Virginio Fasan  is an ASW variant of the Bergamini-class FREMMs, equipped with a full ASW suite including the Thales 4110 CL bow-mounted sonar and CAPTAS 4 VDS and panoramic multibeam echo sounder in addition to a full armament package including the MBDA Italia SAAM ESD air defence missile system with Leonardo MFRA 3D AESA multifunction radar and two Naval Group A50 8-cell VLS for MBDA Aster 15 and 30 missiles, alongside two Leonardo 76/62 mm Super Rapido Multi-Feed (MF) in the Davide/Strales configuration with a radio-frequency Ka-band guidance system antenna integrated on the gun turret to use the DART (Driven Ammunition Reduced Time of Flight) sub-calibre beam riding guided ammunition for anti-ship cruise missile (ASCM) and asymmetric threats engagements. Both ASW and AsuW FREMM variants also have two Leonardo NA-25X gun electro-optical/radar systems with a dual control system to combine the gun firings without interference. The Italian Navy FREMMs are armed also with two manually operated 25 mm guns.