(ANSAmed) - AUGUSTA (SIRACUSA), JUNE 8 - Bilateral training
exercises between the Italian and Tunisian Navies will take
place between June 11 and 15 in the waters of eastern Sicily.
The "Oasis" exercise has this year been planned, organised and
coordinated by the Italian Navy. Now in its tenth year, the
training is "led" on an alternate basis by the Italian and
Tunisian Navies and is part of a series of international
cooperation activities that the Italian Navy carries out with a
number of Mediterranean nations. The aim of Oasis is to increase
and consolidate the capacity for cooperation between the naval
forces of Italy and Tunisia in the field of search and rescue,
surveillance and control of mercantile traffic to tackle illegal
activity. This year, for the first time, cooperation will
stretch to the underwater sector, with the development of
activities concerning techniques and procedures for the search
and removal of devices from the seabed. Italy will be
represented in the training exercises by the open sea patroller
"Comandante Foscari", which carries an AB-212 helicopter from
the second helicopter group based in Maristaeli Catania and an
inspection team from the San Marco regiment, consisting of an
auxiliary naval unit, an open sea tug-boat and a team of
submarines from the Augusta-based SDAI squadron. Tunisia will be
represented by two patrollers from the Albatross division, Annon
and Hamilcar, an inspection team and a team of submarines. The
exercises will include a stopover in the port of Augusta, which
will allow subsequent sea activity to be planned and will
involve the crews in social and cultural events.(ANSAmed).
