Press Release from the Ministry of Defense

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"At the recommendation of the Chief of the Defense Staff, Gen. Luciano Portolano, I have ordered the return to Italy of the ships Rimini and Crotone, currently deployed in Djibouti as part of Operation EUNAVFOR ASPIDES, to allow for urgent maintenance work and the scheduled rotation of crews.

The two vessels had been included in the ASPIDES deployment with the additional objective of reducing response times in the event that mine-clearing operations were required in the Strait of Hormuz, thereby maintaining an immediately available specialized capability in the area.

The return of the two ships does not entail any reduction in Italy’s operational commitment within Operation ASPIDES.

To ensure the full continuity of Italy’s participation and the international commitments undertaken, the Rimini and the Crotone will be replaced by two other ships of the same class, which are already on standby in Italy and are scheduled to reach the operational area according to the planned timeline.

This is a rotation of units, necessary to ensure the long-term efficiency, maintenance, and operational readiness of our ships, without any interruption in Italy’s activities as part of the European mission.”

This was stated in a note by Defense Minister Guido Crosetto.