Italian vessel ITS Carabiniere conducted a replenishment at sea (RAS) with US Navy ship, USNS Carl Brashear, prior to joining Operation Atalanta on Friday, October 17.

Having sailed into the counter-piracy sea areas in the Gulf of Aden, ITS Carabiniere went alongside USNS Carl Brashear to replenish fuel and stores in preparation for her six month deployment with the EU Naval Force off the coast of Somalia.

The two-hour RAS required careful and complex co-ordination between the two ships to ensure that the fuel and stores were transferred safely.

On completion of the RAS, the commanding officers from both ships exchanged gifts as USNS Carl Brashear bid ITS Carabiniere’s ship’s company ‘fair winds’ for their forthcoming deployment.

Conducting a RAS at sea enables Operation Atalanta warships to maintain their counter-piracy presence and strengthen maritime security in the Horn of Africa region.