Since 1959 the Italian Navy has made its presence constant in the international waters in the Sicily Straits where the Sicilian fishing vessels concentrate their activity. The main task for the units of the Italian Navy is to guarantee our fishing vessels the right to fish in international waters in full respect of the Italian regulations.
The units deployed are either Corvettes or Coastal Patrol Boats which patrol the whole area. All the ViPe activities in the Sicily Straits are carried out under the Operations Control of the Chief of Staff of the Navy Fleet (CINCNAV).
The “Fishing area south-west of Lampedusa” is traditionally considered by the Italian government a fish recovery area between Tunisia and the Pelagie Islands; but Tunisia considers it its own fishing zone. Thus the long standing legal dispute between the two countries and the patrol operations carried out by the Italian Navy.
