Envoy: Italian navy ship visit to PH highlights importance of Indo-Pacific

THE Italian Navy ship Francesco Morosini arrived in Manila on Saturday, signaling the start of a more robust military cooperation between Italy and, according to its Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente, to send a “clear signal that this region is important to us and we want to play a role.”

During its 5-day port call in Manila, Morosini will participate in joint exercises, said Clemente in a press conference aboard the visiting Italian ship.

MOROSINI IN MANILA Italian navy ship Francesco Morosini arrives in Manila on Saturday, July 8, 2023 for a five-day port call that seeks to boost defense ties between Italy and the Philippines. PHOTO BY MIKE ALQUINTO

“The exercise in the port of Manila will open a lot of opportunity… This presence of the ship Morosini can make a difference for the future of our bilateral relations,” Clemente said.

The top Italian envoy further disclosed that the two countries are also finalizing a memorandum to improve defense relations.

“We are working hard to finalize a memorandum that when agreed upon, after receiving the political authorization it will make our industrial relationships so much easier,” said Clemente.

Morosini is the “newest vessel of the Italian navy entirely built by Italy in Italy,” Clemente said

Based on the information provided by the Italian Embassy in Manila, the 144-meter multipurpose patrol vessel features a “peculiar wave-piercing double bow [that is] an engineering solution optimizing the vessel's performances in terms of hydrodynamics and maximum attainable speed, with a significant reduction in fuel consumption.”

Morosini can perform both military tasks and civil protection activities such as patrol, logistic transport, surface combat, first aid delivery, fresh water and electricity provider, vertical lift transportation, wideband communications and embarked laboratories, among others.

According to C.F. Giovanni Monno, commanding officer of the Morisini, the ship has more than 30 different configurations and can provide fresh water for 6,000 people. It was delivered in October 2022, two years after it was commissioned in November 2020.

The Morosini is also embarking on a “5-month naval campaign in the Indo-Pacific” to send a “clear signal to the international public opinion that this region is important to us and we want to play a role,” said Ambassador Clemente.

The visit of the Morosini comes as several countries, led by the United States, have expressed concern over China's aggression in the South China Sea.