“How we fight against traffickers and jihadists” / INTERVIEW

La Spezia - A fleet of the most modern warships, amphibious assault troops and the invisible eyes of submarines and drones: this is how the Italian Navy defends Europe’s southern borders from the jihadist threat of ISIS and ensures the safety of navigation in the Central Mediterranean. This is Operation “Mare Sicuro” [i.e. “Safe Sea”], whose commander is Rear Admiral Alberto Maffeis. We reached him via a satellite link while he was on board the Frigate “Fasan”, one of the Italian Navy’s newest ships, which is somewhere between Sicily and the Coast of Libya, leading a formation that also includes the Frigate “Bersagliere” and the patrol boat “Fulgosi”.

What kind of activities are you conducting?
“Mare Sicuro” was an intervention that was initiated after the crisis in Libya, and it is an entirely Italian aeronaval operation and the biggest in this area of the Mediterranean, which is providing maritime surveillance and re-establishing the legitimate use of the sea, by focusing mainly in the waters facing Libya. We are working against the criminal organisations that conduct illegal traffic, we are carrying out surveillance on jihadist groups against the danger of terrorist infiltration, and we are collecting information. But that’s not all: we are ensuring the safety of Italian merchant and rescue units in the area, including platforms and the entire network of strategic energy sources; the same for the commercial routes and merchant ships, including our fishing fleet, which is one of the largest in the world. There are an average of 20 Italian fishing boats in areas at risk, such as north of Misurata and North of Benghazi.”

With its five ships, spy submarines, marines and commandos, helicopters and ultra modern surveillance equipment, you command quite an impressive combat fleet. What are the dangers of the operation, and how are you dealing with them?
“We are protecting the seaways from illegal activities, for example smugglers, and all the armed threats that may arise, from jihadists to groups that commit acts of piracy. Ours is the sort of structure that is required to achieve this. With the equipment that we have on these naval units, we can identify an armed person on a boat at night or during the day, without being seen, or detect that something suspicious is going on aboard a merchant ship, so we can take action.”

What are the biggest dangers?
“The most dangerous work is boarding a ship for an inspection, this is why our inspection teams are protected by a rapid response team. We request to inspect every questionable merchant ship or boat: if they are Italian there is no problem, it is our right, but if they refuse we become suspicious and ask the state whose flag the ship flies, or the state where the cargo is registered, for the OK to intervene.”

And how does the intervention take place?
“First we always send a helicopter with armed personnel for reconnaissance, then after this first pass we send fast moving boats. An assault team boards the ship and if everything is quiet, the inspectors board, of course always protected. We don’t know what we might find there or what might happen. We are ready for any situation and any reaction.”

What are the figures for the mission so far?
“We have arrested 900 smugglers, carried out 59 on-board inspections, plus we have freed one fishing boat, prevented three attempted kidnappings, and saved tens of thousands of lives.”

How many migrants have you rescued?
“I came to this command on 17 June and since then we have rescued 20,000 people. In a single day we rescued 3,000 migrants; this is not our direct activity, but we are here and when action must be taken to save someone we are there.”