​​​Professionalism and interoperability among Navies were the main elements in the activity conducted by ITS Antonio Marceglia with the Indian Navy’s INS Tabar, on July 4 and 5 in the Tyrrhenian Sea.

Training activities – jointly planned by the staffs of participating units – included the conduct of simple and complex kinematic manoeuvres, preliminary training for replenishment at sea, communications drills using flashing lights and flag signals, air defence procedures, and cross deck helo operations.

Such activities – defined as PASSEX (“passage exercises”) and undertaken when two naval units belonging to different Navies meet at sea - are aimed at testing common procedures in an international training environment, thus helping to maintain the naval fleet’s operational capability and promoting international cooperation. This kind of activities is particularly important when conducted with naval units from non-NATO countries, or in a context in which consolidated procedures are lesser than in a NATO context.

This training event therefore provided a valuable opportunity for ITS Marceglia to implement capabilities and test cooperation, enhancing cohesion. The Italian FREMM frigate is returning to the Mediterranean Sea at the end of an intense period of international activities conducted in the Atlantic Ocean and in the Northern Seas, where she took part in exercises At Sea Demonstration/Formidable Shield 21 and BALTOPS 50, within NATO task groups.

ITS Marceglia - 144 metres long and a crew of 190 - is the eighth frigate of the FREMM (European Multi-Mission Frigate) programme and the fourth in General Purpose (GP) configuration. Built in Genoa and La Spezia shipyards, and delivered to the Italian Navy in 2019, the unit meets mission requirements for the conduct of a wide range of maritime operations including homeland defence, control of maritime areas of national interest, and power projection from and on the sea.