The Italian Coast Guard hosted a large-scale search-and-rescue (SAR) exercise in the Gulf of Trieste on 22 September, bringing together naval and air units from Italy, Croatia and Slovenia, with oversight from EU agencies EMSA, EFCA and Frontex. Details were published on 23 September by the European Maritime Safety Agency. The drill simulated a collision between a fishing vessel and a passenger craft on one of the Adriatic’s busiest corridors for ro-ro ferries and cruise ships. Live coordination took place at Trieste’s Maritime Rescue Sub-Centre, while patrol vessel Gregoretti acted as on-scene commander. Participants tested cross-border communications via the Common Information Sharing Environment (CISE) and rehearsed helicopter medevac protocols. For the shipping and offshore-energy sectors, the exercise signals tighter alignment of SAR procedures that should reduce response times and liability exposure for Italian-flag operators working in mixed Adriatic waters. Cruise lines planning 2027 itineraries from Venice and Trieste welcomed the move, citing growing passenger-safety expectations in the wake of increased migrant SAR activity farther south. The drill also supports Italy’s bid for EU co-funding of a permanent multipurpose maritime operation (MMO ADRIA) that would combine border control, fisheries inspection and environmental response. Such an MMO could extend real-time situational awareness tools to commercial shipping, potentially lowering insurance premiums. Port agents and logistics providers should watch for follow-up notices on traffic-separation schemes or new reporting requirements that often emerge after multinational SAR reviews.
Source: European Maritime Safety Agency
