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2014-02-01
The UAE is a significant partner in the global effort against piracy :Rear Admiral Paolo Treu
By: Sakha Pramod
The 30th Italian Naval Group, composed by aircraft carrier Cavour, supply ship Etna, frigate Bergamini and patrol ship Borsini, left Italy in mid-November 2013, setting sail towards the Suez canal to start a Naval Campaign across the Red Sea, the Gulf of Aden, the Indian Ocean and the Arabic Gulf, ending with the circumnavigation of Africa. The Group led by the aircraft carrier Cavour visited Abu Dhabi and Dubai as part of scheduled port visits. A number of Italian companies hosted an exhibition onboard the carrier seeking to boost trade between the UAE and Italy. The Nation Shield spoke to Admiral Paolo Treu, Commander of the Naval Group on the purpose of the visit, the capabilities of Italian navy and bilateral cooperation. Excerpts:
Is this the first visit to the UAE for Cavour?
Cavour is a new ship. The frigate Bergamini is also new. It was delivered to the navy only a couple of months ago. For these two ships this is the first visit to the UAE, the first crossing of the Suez Canal, the first presence in the Gulf. So it is a very important event. Cavour is an aircraft carrier; it is living proof of what the Italian industry is capable of doing. If your industry is capable of realizing a complex ship like this one, of course it is an industry that can also build many different things in different sectors, both military and civilian
.
How many aircraft can she carry?
She can carry 22 to 24 aircraft, a mix of helicopters, and Harriers.
Cavour is said to be the newest flagship of the Italian Navy. What is special about it?
This is the biggest ship we have, it is a 27000-ton ship and we would like to say there are four different capabilities in this ship. It is an aircraft carrier but it is also a platform to be a head quarter for a maritime commander like me. For example, in this carrier I have enough room for a staff of 200 people; in addition it is a ship that has medical capabilities, she has a hospital. You have visited it, you know what I am talking about. It is a platform for amphibious operations because it can launch helicopters to project ashore amphibious forces. Therefore it is a ship that has so many different capabilities. And it is emblematic of the dual role concept of Italian navy ships. It is a military instrument but it is also a different kind of instrument. Because the same capabilities -- the helicopters, the hospital and everything that is aboard the ship -- all these capabilities can be employed effectively in support of populations in danger. This is why we like to underline our multi-role capabilities.
As an aircraft carrier does Cavour often take up such different non-defense roles?
We do things different from other navies because we are not just a Navy, we are the Italian Navy. We like to do things differently. We like to add to our military capabilities also our heart, our humanity and I think this is very important.
When we engage in a real operation, we like to integrate with the population of the region where we operate. We don’t stay isolated in our fortress. We like to have contacts with the population, with the culture. We want to learn about the people we are supporting in a situation of conflict or crisis. This is the best way of doing even our military business. Getting to know the people, we would get support from them, they could give you good information on how to do your tasks in a better way.
What are the key assignments Cavour has undertaken so far?
She is a very young ship as I said. When the ship was being built, the combat system was still to be completed and there was the earthquake in Haiti. So what the Navy decided was to stop the integration of the combat system in order to use this ship to support the Haiti population. So we accepted the delay in delivery of the ship to the navy giving priority to this important humanitarian mission. This humanitarian assistance to the people of Haiti was the first operation of the ship. During that operation, we left Italy right away. This ship is very fast because she can sail at almost 30 knots, which is about 60 kms per hour which is quite a lot for a ship this big. So we were able to reach Haiti fast and we conducted operations on board. We had of course the volunteer nurses as well as different representatives of all the different armed forces in Italy and also the fire brigade. There is a lot of room aboard the ship. The complement of the ship is only 550 people but we have enough beds and room to accommodate 1200 people. So, for example, in Haiti when there were parents with kids who had to undergo surgery we were able to host the parents aboard the ship so that they can stay with their kids.
The Italian Navy is reported to replace its 16 Harriers with F-35B. So are you planning to modify the Cavour to support the F-35?
The Cavour is a new ship, so when she was built we were already thinking of integrating the F-35. We knew how big the airplane would be, we knew what the weight would be, so the ship was built looking at all those aspects. Another good thing is that the thickness of our flight deck is pretty good. So the integration will not be a problem .Of course there will be some changes to be done, but that is normal. A ship during her lifetime has to go through some modifications. So it is just a matter of updating the ship for the new technology that is available, therefore it is something that you have to do anyway.
Do you plan to have more aircraft carriers?
Italy is not a big country, so our plan is to have only one carrier. Of course we could build a ship like this for another country.
Do you plan to have more such friendly visits by Italian navy to the GCC in general and the UAE in particular?
I think this area is crucial for global security and also for the security of all the GCC countries. I think there is need for more independence for each country, they want to have their own identity and at the same time they want to do something together. I think this is very important. Therefore the atmosphere in the Gulf will change in the next few years. I think countries in the Gulf will be thinking about changing, even how to rebalance all the relationships with the different countries.
Piracy is a major problem in the region. How can Italy and UAE work together to counter this menace?
UAE is supporting the Trust Fund, the trust fund is put together to support the anti-piracy operations. So the UAE is a significant partner in the global effort against piracy. Piracy is a very dangerous problem, it’s a phenomenon that does not use expensive things, the pirates need just a boat, few guns and some bullets. But they represent a big threat to merchant ships. Piracy is under control now, but when the situation is quiet there is a problem. Nations cannot choose not to participate in the operations just because there is no piracy. If you do that, pirates will be ready to fight again. If piracy rises, Suez Canal transit will stop, and if that stops, the Mediterranean Sea will die because nobody will go there anymore. If you have to go around Africa to reach European countries, the ships will go to North Europe and not cross the Mediterranean Sea anymore. Therefore it will be a tragedy for Italy in particular and all the countries that are depending on oil. So piracy has to be countered and we really appreciate the financial effort that UAE is making to support counter-piracy operations.
Cavour recently rescued an Indian sailor. Is such rescue missions an essential part of Cavour’s assignments?
We had this opportunity on the 27th of November when we received the information through our computer system that there was this Indian captain of a ship who was actually about to die. We were not too far away, so I sent one of my helicopters to deliver a doctor on board the ship. So we landed the doctor on the fishing vessel and the doctor recommended that the captain be evacuated from the ship because he was in a bad shape. Therefore we airlifted him to the Salalah airport and organized an ambulance while we were flying. So when the helicopter landed in Salalah, he was transferred by ambulance to the hospital. The following day we called and he was okay, and we were very happy we could save his life.
As you know, we have two of our Navy infantry soldiers still in India, waiting for a trial. I hope that our Indian friends will take a humane approach to them. They have been there for two years, waiting and waiting and waiting.
As I said, humanitarian aspect of the capabilities that we can perform is very important. I think it will be a waste having a military instrument and not using it for this kind of humanitarian activities.
Italian Navy has been a regular participant in IDEX. What are your impressions?
It is a top event in the world and our chief of navy participated in the latest IDEX to underline how important it is to participate in this kind of exhibition. It is without doubt one of the best exhibitions of its kind. The Vice-Admiral of Italian Navy was here. He is now the logistics commander, and is very enthusiastic about IDEX, very positive.
Where will Cavour head from here?
We are going to Mombasa in Africa where we will begin our humanitarian assistance mission. Our mission has different tasks, but the humanitarian task will be more. We will continue training, we will do our maritime security operations, if there is a chance we will be fighting piracy, we like to keep ourselves busy doing as much as we can in all the fields.
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