NATO’s Counter-Piracy Mission, Operation Ocean Shield, has bid farewell to the Italian destroyer ITS MIMBELLI.
The ITS MIMBELLI left Task Force 508 on Wednesday, 6 August 2014, after a job very well done as part of Operation Ocean Shield. The continuous, main effort of Task Force 508 is keeping commercial routes and international navigation safe from maritime crime.
MIMBELLI and her crew have done their part, but also more than that: in July, for example, they trained with the Tanzanian Navy, thereby contributing to building the regional capacity to handle the piracy challenge. Further, they donated much needed supplies to a local nursery.
Piracy is currently contained with great success, with no successful hijacking since May 2012. However, it is not eradicated and that is why there are still NATO ships and other international naval presence off the Horn of Africa.