Abortion with Polish support

An Italian IT patrol vessel, "Thaon di Revel", moved towards the ship. His commander established a link with Captain ‘Toa Payoh’, but this one, as the Italian Ministry of Defence states, ‘did not cooperate in the expected scope’. This may mean that he did not want to give full information about the flag, the cargo and the tanker's course.

As a result, a chopper with a boarding group on board took off from the patrolboard. A minute later, they seized it, then searched the deck of the "Toa Payoh". The operation from the sea side was secured by a ship from Greece, and from the air – the Polish patrol aircraft M28B 1R Bryza. Both, like IT “Thaom di Revel”, participate in the mission “IRINI”.

"The operation carried out in global waters confirmed the advanced level of training, professionalism and effective cooperation of the States participating in the mission. PKW ‘IRINI’ continuously supports the implementation of the mandate of the operation, conducting exploratory tasks and monitoring the situation in the Mediterranean Sea’, can be read on the Operations Command Profile of the Armed Forces Types on portal X.

Guido Crosetto, head of the Italian MON, spoke in a akin tone. "I would like to congratulate the crew of the Thaon di Revel and all the soldiers active in the operation – their professionalism, preparation and determination. This action shows in a concrete way the contribution of Italy and the European Union to ensuring safety in the Mediterranean," says a communication published on the Ministry website.

The Italians emphasise that the operation was carried out in full respect of Article 110 of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea. This provision allows a warship to carry out checks in certain cases. This can be done at least to establish the nationality of the ship and check the flag under which it operates.

The tanker itself was not occupied or escorted to the nearest port. The ‘IRINI’ mission shall not have specified powers. The papers collected during the checks shall be examined by the Italian authorities. If necessary, they may be the basis for the subsequent seizure of the ship. Meanwhile, “Toa Payoh” continues the cruise. According to the latest recommendations of Marinetraffic.com, which regularly verifies the location of the vessels, it is at the tallness of Libya.

The Sunday check was the second specified action carried out by the IRINI participants in little than 2 weeks. On 20 July, the boarding group, under akin circumstances, boarded the MV ‘South Star’. This is simply a sign that the European Union is stepping up the fight against the shadow fleet.

Polish contingent under the IRINI mission has been operating since the end of March 2020. There are about 80 soldiers stationed at Sigonella base in Sicily who have a patrol aircraft at their disposal. Their task is to patrol air routes between Italy and North Africa. Objective: to combat illicit trafficking in arms and oil exports from Libya and to curb illegal migration. The contingent core is formed by the military with Naval Aviation Brigade in Gdynia. Currently, there is simply a XIII change in Sicily, which is commanded by Lieutenant Commander Paul Ceglarski.