North Atlantic Treaty Organization
Allied Maritime Command
April 23, 2014
NATO DEEPENS COOPERATION ON COUNTER-PIRACY WITH OMAN
Story by HQ MARCOM Public Affairs Office
Muscat, OMAN: Last week, ITS MIMBELLI, currently deployed in NATO’s counter-piracy Operation OCEAN SHIELD, conducted a port visit to Muscat, the Sultanate of Oman’s capital city. The aim of the visit was to pursue NATO’s ongoing cooperation with regional states to combat piracy at sea.
ITS MIMBELLI’s Commanding Officer, Captain Davide Berna, made several official calls to regional authorities during the port visit, including one with the Deputy Governor of Muscat, H.E. Said Ibrahim Saud Al Busaidi.
A Royal Omani Navy’s delegation was also invited for a visit on board ITS MIMBELLI to share views and lessons-learned on counter-piracy operations in the area.
These meetings were valuable opportunities to deepen cooperation and interoperability between NATO and the Omani Government, Royal Omani Navy and Coast Guard. These talks complemented the activities carried out the previous week between OCEAN SHIELD’s flagship ESPS CRISTOBAL COLON and the Royal Omani Navy corvette AL SHAMIKH.
“Cooperation ashore with regional Nations is as important as cooperation at sea to ensure safety of navigation in this part of the world,” said Capt. Berna. “The level of support provided by the Government of Oman makes a significant difference for the success of this mission.”
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