The Armed Forces of Malta is taking the lead role in the planning and execution of Exercise Canale, an annual major military exercise organised bilaterally between Malta and Italy involving mainly Maltese and Italian naval and air assets together with those of other Mediterranean countries.

The exercise started on Friday and ends on Saturday.

Other nations who are participants in the Euromed and 5+5 Processes have been invited to send observers to view the conduct of the exercise.

The exercise is organised into a number of distinct phases, each designed to exercise the participants in a number of different skills. All tasks will be focused on soft-security issues.

The aim of Exercise Canale 06 is to promote cooperation, security and peace in the Mediterranean region by conducting naval and air operations involving units of the Maltese and Italian Armed Forces and other invited nations in combined SAR and Maritime Law Enforcement Operations.

The objectives of this exercise can be outlined as follows:

•to train respective commands in the use of standard procedures in alerting and conducting SAR operations;

•to train respective Naval and Air Commands/Units in the correct use of techniques in the search and rescue for personnel and vessels in distress at sea;

•to train Explosives Ordinance Disposal (EOD) teams in the practice of underwater EOD operations;

•to exercise forms of integration and cooperation between Italian and Maltese forces as well as other participating Nation Units in Maritime Law Enforcement operations, in order to counter illicit activities at sea;

•to train units in the deployment of security and inspection teams to conduct Board and Search operations;

•to train units in anti- and counter-piracy and convoy operations;

•to test the validity of the communications plan for the command and control of joint and combined operations at sea;

•joint small-calibre gun exercises at sea.

The following vessels and aircraft from the following countries are taking part in the exercise:

Malta

•1 x Modified Diciotti Class Offshore Patrol Vessel (OPV); 2 x Protector Class Coastal Patrol boat (CPB); 1 x Melita Class Search & Rescue (SAR) Launch; 2 x Islander Maritime Patrol Aircraft (MPA); 2 x ALIII Helicopters

•1 x Boarding Team; 1 x EOD Team.

Italy

•Navy: 1 x Soldati Class ITS Artigliere; 1 x AB212 Helicopter; 1 x Boarding Team; 1 x EOD Team; 1 x ITS Polifemo – Utility vessel as Target of Interest (TOI)

•Coast Guard: 1 x Diciotti Class OPV; 1 x CP200 Class CPB; 1 x P166 MPA.

•Air Force: 1 x HH-3F Helicopter; 1 x AB212 Helicopter (MIATM).

•Military Police (Carabinieri): 1 x CC800 Class CPB

France

•FS Comandant Birot (Corvette)

Greece

•HS Krataios (Gun Boat)

A civilian registered vessel, the MV Island Seaway, owned and operated by Ma.re.si Shipping Company Ltd, (SMS group) is taking part in the Maritime Law Enforcement phase of the exercise.

On 15 June, the vessel will be on its way to Malta from Catania and will serve to represent a civilian vessel transiting an area at high risk from piracy. She will be escorted by the Exercise Canale 06 units in order to protect her from pirate attacks.

Algeria, Cyprus, Egypt, Mauritania, Portugal, Tunisia and Turkey have accepted the invitation and will be sending an observer to view the conduct of the exercise.

VIPs from both the Maltese and Italian governments and defence ministries will be observing the level of interoperability and special capabilities developed within the exercise framework during a dedicated VIP event taking place on the final seagoing day of the exercise.