General Command News

The Italian Coast Guard on Monday signed a contract for the design and construction of a new multi-role offshore unit (UAM) for missions ranging from sea rescue to maritime safety, from marine conservation to fish resources protection, as well as civil protection.The signing took place in Rome at the headquarters of the General Command of the Harbor Authorities - Coast Guard between the Commanding General, Adm. Inspector Nicola Carlone, and the CEO of Fincantieri, Giuseppe Bono…

Libya's National Oil Corporation (NOC) declared force majeure on loadings from Zueitina and Hariga ports on Monday, it said in a statement.   "Despite our warning of the consequences and attempts to reason with the LNA General Command, two legitimate allocations were blocked from loading at Hariga and Zueitina this weekend," Tripoli-based NOC Chairman Mustafa Sanalla was quoted as saying.   "The storage tanks are full and production will now go offline."   Reporting by Aidan Lewis

A merchant ship collided with a United Arab Emirates navy boat as it was taking part in a routine mission off UAE territorial waters in the Gulf on Tuesday, the UAE armed forces said. There were no casualties in the incident and "other damage is being evaluated", state news agency WAM said, citing a statement from the General Command of the Armed Forces. It gave no details on the type of merchant ship, the cargo it was carrying or any details on whether shipping routes were affected. (Reporting by Sylvia Westall)

On Saturday August 31, 2013, a terrorist act was directed to traffic at the Suez Canal. The terrorists targeted one of the ships going through the waterway, MV Cosco Aisia, hoisting the Panamanian flag. The attempt failed with no damage, whatsoever, either to the ship or its cargo of containers. The situation was dealt with by Egyptian armed forces, and the vessel resumed its trip safely to the port of destination, while Suez Canal navigation is back to normal and ship traffic is quite regular. On Sunday September 1, 2013, 51 vessels transited the Suez Canal in both directions.

The first of two multi-purpose vessels for the Italian Coast Guard was launched at Fincantieri's Castellammare di Stabia (Naples) Shipyard. Ships of this class are designed to operate in open seas in particularly bad weather conditions and will be used for search and rescue, anti-pollution and fire-fighting missions and to control illegal immigration. They will also be able to perform complex naval missions for central command. With a length of 94 metres and 16-metre beam, they will be able to reach a top speed of about 18 knots with a range of more than 3…