For the first time, Albania has participated in NATO’s Operation Sea Guardian, with the Albanian Navy’s ALS Lissus patrolling the Adriatic and Central Mediterranean Seas.
The Croatian Navy’s HRVS Dubrovnik led the Task Group for the second time.
Maritime Patrol Aircraft and Airborne Early Warning Aircraft from Greece, Italy, and Turkey provided support to HRVS Dubrovnik and ALS Lissus. The patrols were also assisted by NATO Alliance Ground Surveillance (NAGS), which contributed to a more comprehensive understanding of the maritime environment in the region.
NATO say that this marked the second maritime-focused patrol of 2023, aimed at gathering pattern of life information and maintaining Maritime Situational Awareness (MSA) in the Adriatic and Central Mediterranean Sea.
HRVS Dubrovnik and ALS Lissus engaged with merchant and fishing vessels, as well as other transiting ships, offering reassurance to local and transiting mariners. A total of 961 vessels were monitored in the area, with 347 ships being hailed.
Operation Sea Guardian is a non-Article 5 maritime security operation of NATO, aimed at collaborating with Mediterranean stakeholders and NATO partners to maintain maritime situational awareness, deter and counter-terrorism, and enhance capacity building through cooperation and interoperability, promoting mutual benefits.
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