Monday 13 May 2024 – 7.34pm
This morning, 13 May, the Secondary Maritime Rescue Center of the Livorno Coast Guard (2nd Maritime Rescue Sub Center) coordinated, under the broader direction of the Prefecture, a complex rescue and anti-terrorism exercise on a scheduled ferry ( so-called POLLEX – SECURITY – SAREX 2024).
The operations were carried out as part of the training activity to which the Coast Guard soldiers are constantly subjected to improve the efficiency of the level of preparation of the personnel, the activation and response capacity of the rescue chain and the effectiveness of the operational procedures, with particular reference to the cooperation between the various State bodies and private entities that can usefully contribute to emergencies at sea, as the Livorno Coast Guard explains in a note.
The exercise involved numerous naval and air vehicles from the Port Authority of Livorno, the Carabinieri, the Guardia di Finanza and the Fire Brigade (also present with a team of divers), personnel from the 118, as well as a Castalia depolluting naval vehicle and of the port’s technical nautical services.
The training simulation started at 9.30 am when the commander of the Mega Express 4 of Corsica Ferries, which left Livorno for Golfo Aranci with 340 people on board, about 10 miles from the port, reported via the planned satellite security systems of having been hijacked by three terrorists. He also announced that during the attack there had been an explosion of incendiary devices in the local garage which had caused the injury of some crew members and some passengers, as well as the spillage of oily substances into the sea.
The Operations Room of the 2nd MRSC then assumed the coordination of the search and rescue operations, arranging for the dispatch of a SAR naval unit, a naval unit of the Guardia di Finanza and one of the Fire Brigade to the hijacking area, also requesting the dispatch of a helicopter from the Sarzana Coast Guard Aircraft Base and alerting the other police forces and the 118 service.
The emergency in progress was also promptly communicated to the operations rooms of the Police Headquarters, the Guardia di Finanza and the Prefecture, as well as to the Operations Center of the Coast Guard in Rome, the Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of the Interior.
Given the gravity of the current situation, the Prefecture of Livorno met the Crisis Committee, attempting, through Public Security personnel, to establish telephone contact with the hijackers. From the attempted conversation with the latter it emerged that it was absolutely impossible to start any negotiations and therefore the Crisis Unit of the Ministry of the Interior was asked for the possibility of having the competent UN.IS intervene, according to the National Emergency Plan for the management of serious disturbances of public order and terrorist events.
In authorizing the use through the General Command of the Carabinieri, the Special Intervention Group was given the task of planning and carrying out the special operation to regain control of the ship.
In the meantime, the first units arrived in the area and confirmed the presence of oily substances in the sea and therefore the Coast Guard operations room declared a level 2 local emergency, immediately notifying the Operational Coordination of Interventions at Sea (COIMAR) at the Ministry of Ecological Transition and the Department of Civil Protection.
With the use of 2 helicopters from the 4th Helicopter Nucleus of the Carabinieri and the RHIBs supplied, the Carabinieri GIS soldiers managed to board the moving vessel and proceed to identify the threat and bring it back under their control of the ferry, allowing the influx of further relief assets after neutralizing the terrorists.
The on-board command could thus resume control of the ferry and the firefighters could intervene to put out the fires and the 118 medical staff could provide first aid to the injured. Having ensured that human lives were given priority, attention was then turned to the marine environment, with the intervention of the depolluting vehicle which carried out operations to contain the oily stain.
The ferry, made safe and back under the control of the Authorities, headed back to the port, escorted by the naval units of the Police Force, assisted by the Port Pilots and a tugboat, while the most seriously injured were evacuated by the patrol boats and Coast Guard and fire brigade helicopters.
On the dock, once the disembarkation operations of the injured and other passengers were concluded, scientific and judicial police operations were started on board the vessel by the relevant bodies.
The exercise, which had the aim of testing the response in terms of operational readiness and consolidating the level of preparation of the personnel involved, analyzing the activation and response capacity of the rescue chain and evaluating the suitability and effectiveness of the operational procedures with particular attention to anti-terrorism and rescue procedures at sea, had a very positive outcome, demonstrating the great professionalism of the personnel involved and confirming once again the excellent synergy between the Coast Guard and the other institutional bodies, called often collaborating in emergency activities, in this case under the aegis of the Prefecture of Livorno.
“I would like to thank all those who participated in the planning and success of the exercise” – this was the thought of the Maritime Director of Tuscany, Admiral Angora, at the end of the activities – “first of all the Prefecture, all the Police and rescue forces intervened, the technical nautical services of the Port, the ferry company and all the kids from the Cappellini Nautical Technical Institute of Livorno who participated in the “role” of passengers of the hijacked ferry”.
“These occasions” – continued the Admiral – “are fundamental to test the level of preparation that the Coast Guard and the other Police and rescue forces have achieved in the management of events of this magnitude, and which have as their primary purpose to guarantee, from all points of view, the safety of citizens”.
“I intend to thank all the bodies, institutions and private citizens who contributed to completing the exercise in an optimal way” – commented Dr. in conclusion. Lombardi, vicar of the Prefect of Livorno.
“These are the occasions” – he continued – “in which the institutions demonstrate that they are a cohesive team which, within the different roles, functions and skills, operates with the sole aim of guaranteeing a peaceful and civil coexistence in compliance with the rules and legality”.
