Italian FREMM frigate Emilio Bianchi has sailed from her home port towards the Indian Ocean to take up her duties as the new flagship of Operation Atalanta.
The EU maritime security operation, also known as European Union Naval Force (EU NAVFOR) Somalia, is an ongoing counter-piracy military operation at sea off the Horn of Africa and in the Western Indian Ocean.
Operation Atalanta has been running since 2008; having recently transited the Suez Canal, on arrival the Italian multi-purpose frigate will become the flagship during its 52nd rotation.
Once on station, she will also act as the command ship for Task Force 465, a 47-nation naval partnership, which exists to promote security, stability and prosperity across approximately 3.2 million square miles of international waters.
Built by Fincantieri under a programme managed by OCCAR, Emilio Bianchi is the Italian Navy’s tenth FREMM frigate and the second delivered in the enhanced anti-submarine warfare (ASW) configuration. She was delivered to the Italian Navy in July 2025.
She is 144m long, displaces approximately 6,700 tonnes, can sail at up to 27 knots and has a range of about 6,000 nautical miles.
- You can read more details on the Italian Navy website