On 10 June 2015, ITS Libeccio and her crew joined Operation ATALANTA and the Italian Frigate, under the Command of Cdr Daniele Paolo Maria MARTINUZZI, has begun patrolling in the Gulf of Aden and the Somali basin in support of escorts to the World Food Programme, AMISOM and the fight against piracy.

Libeccio integrates the EUROMARFOR Task Group under the Operational Command of EURNAFOR.

After the transit of the Suez Canal, which is always a fascinating moment of apparent wonder for young sailors as well as those more experienced, the ship crossed the Red Sea and arrive into the Port of Djibouti for the handover ceremony with her sister ITS Grecale.

Libeccio is a frigate of the Maestrale class which been in service for the Italian Navy since the early 1980's. She has a displacement of 3100 tons and besides her two diesel main engines she is also equipped with two gas turbines LM-2500 for extra power and speed. She counts as well with the helicopter Agusta-Bell 212 type to better detect any possible piracy activity.

Libeccio has a well-trained crew with former experience of these pirate-haunted waters and is welcomed by the Force Commander as a very good reinforcement of the EU NAVFOR for the next months where the force flow has being reduced due to the monsoon period.

The crew of ITS LIBECCIO, composed by 212 military specialists including San Marco Marina Brigade and the Group Operational Divers and replace ITS GRECALE in the waters of the Red Sea, that recently head home port after more than 4 months fighting against piracy activity, monitoring fishing activity and protecting vulnerable shipping.