In 2016, NATO launched a maritime security operation called Sea Guardian currently across the Mediterranean Sea. Operation Sea Guardian (OSG) is a standing Maritime Security Operation to deter and counter terrorism and other threats to Allied maritime security. At present, Sea Guardian also provides maritime situational awareness and can carry out tasks to help build naval capacity of NATO partners. Besides daily activities, focused patrols are conducted for three weeks every two months.
NATOChannel boarded the British ship HMS Echo, the Croatian ship Vukovar and the Italian ship Espero during the first days of their focused patrols.
Footage includes various shots aboard the Espero and Vukovar, and various shots as crews from both conduct a practice operation boarding the HMS Echo as though it were a potentially hostile vessel.
1. (00:00) VARIOUS EARLY MORNING SHOTS - ITALIAN FRIGATE ESPERO AT TARANTO NAVAL BASE BEFORE DEPLOYMENT ON NATIO OPERATION SEA GUARDIAN
2. (00:14) VARIOUS SHOTS - ITALIAN CREW ABOARD ESPERO PREPARE FOR DEPARTURE ON OPERATION SEA GUARDIAN
3. (00:38) VARIOUS SHOTS – IN ENGINE ROOM OF ESPERO AS CREW DEPART PORT
4. (00:48) VARIOUS SHOTS – CREW ON THE BRIDGE OF ESPERO DURING DEPARTURE FROM PORT
5. (01:00) MID SHOT – HELICOPTER LANDS ON ESPERO WHILE AT SEA
6. (01:07) WIDE SLOW MOTION SHOT - ITALIAN FRIGATE ESPERO AT SEA
7. (01:10) VARIOUS WIDE SHOTS - ITALIAN FRIGATE ESPERO AND BRITISH SHIP HMS ECHO MOVE INTO FORMATION
8. (01:25) VARIOUS SHOTS - CROATION SHIP VUKOVAR AT TARANTO NAVAL BASE
9. (01:37) VARIOUS SHOTS - CREW ABOARD VUKOVAR RAISE CROATIAN FLAG AS SHIP LEAVES PORT
10. (01:51) VARIOUS SHOTS - CREW ABOARD VUKOVAR ON THE BRIDGE AS SHIP LEAVES PORT
11. (01:59) MID SHOT - GUNNER IN GUN TURRET ABOARD VUKOVAR
12. (02:04) MID SHOT - CROATIAN, ITALIAN AND NATO FLAGS FLYING ABOARD VUKOVAR
13. (02:08) MID SHOT - ITALIAN HELICOPTER FLYING PAST VUKOVAR
14. (02:14) VARIOUS SHOTS - CROATIAN CREW COMMUNICATE WITH ESPERO AND PREPARE FOR BOARDING EXERCISE WHERE THEY WILL PRACTISE WORKING TOGETHER BY BOARDING HMS ECHO
15. (02:45) VARIOUS SHOTS - ITALIAN AND CROATIAN BOARDING TEAMS DISCUSS AND PREPARE HOW THEY WILL BOARD HMS ECHO
16. (03:03) VARIOUS SHOTS - CROATIAN CREW PREPARE RIB BOAT FOR BOARDING EXERCISE
17. (03:17) VARIOUS SHOTS - ITALIAN AND CROATIAN BOARDING CREW IN RIB BOAT HEADING TOWARDS HMS ECHO
18. (03:42) MID SHOT - ITALIAN AND CROATIAN BOARDING TEAMS CLIMB ABOARD HMS ECHO
19. (03:52) VARIOUS SHOTS - ITALIAN AND CROATIAN TEAMS CONDUCT BOARDING EXERCISE ABOARD HMS ECHO
20. (04:40) SOUNDBITE (ITALIAN) – COMMANDER ALBERTO FIORENTINO, COMMANDING OFFICER, ESPERO
“Operation Sea Guardian is a NATO non-Article 5 maritime security operation aimed at countering terrorism, guaranteeing a maritime situational awareness of the Alliance and improving capacity building with some countries in the Mediterranean rim.”
21. (05:02) SOUNDBITE (ITALIAN) – COMMANDER ALBERTO FIORENTINO, COMMANDING OFFICER, ESPERO
“We identify and monitor the traditional traffic routes in the Mediterranean and check if these are licit or illicit. Then we verify and check if illicit activities are carried out by terrorist or criminal organisations in the Mediterranean.”
22. (05:34) SOUNDBITE (ITALIAN) – COMMANDER ALBERTO FIORENTINO, COMMANDING OFFICER, ESPERO
“It is absolutely important that two actors such as the EU and NATO cooperate and work closely. Together they can add value to each other and guarantee a stronger security.”
23. (05:53) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – COMMANDER MATHEW WARREN, COMMANDING OFFICER, HMS ECHO
“The eastern Mediterranean area is certainly very important for the movement of not just what we might consider to be usual maritime trade, the legitimate business of commerce, but also potentially the movement of illegal trans-shipment of oil associated with the political situation throughout the eastern Mediterranean, and potentially also the illegal movement of arms that might contribute to some of the region’s trouble spots.”
24. (06:29) SOUNDBITE (ENGLISH) – LIEUTENANT JUNIOR GRADE DINO ČUBO, CROATIAN NAVY
“So we just did a hailing exercise, with a suspicious ship. We asked him a set of questions and he answered, and then based on those questions we decide if we’re going to do a boarding operation on board that ship or MSAA, so the MSAA is Maritime Situational Awareness Approach, so based on those questions we decide on our later intentions and actions.”
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