Vice Admiral Antonio Natale, Commander Naval Personnel Education, Italian Navy during his visit to Mumbai from 28 November to 03 December 2024 interacted with Vice Admiral Sanjay J Singh, Flag Officer Commanding-in-Chief, Western Naval Command on 29 November 2024. Issues pertaining to enhancing interoperability and cooperation in the maritime domain were deliberated. Vice Admiral Antonio Natale also laid a wreath at the Gaurav Stambh, a memorial in Naval Dockyard Mumbai, honouring the supreme sacrifices of Indian Naval personnel.
The Italian Admiral’s visit coincides with the visit of the Italian Navy Sail Training Ship ITS Amerigo Vespucci to Mumbai from 26 November to 02 December 2024. The ship is on a world tour and departed Italy in July 2023. During its almost two-year voyage, the ship will visit more than 30 ports before returning to Italy in February 2025.
The 101-meter, 3410-ton tall ship is commanded by Capt Giuseppe Lai. On arrival at Mumbai, the Commanding Officer called on Rear Admiral Rahul Vilas Gokhale, the Flag Officer Commanding Western Fleet, and discussed issues related to the importance of sail training in both navies and the experience gained during their present voyage.
As part of the visit, ‘Villaggio Italia’ (Italian Village) has been set up near the ships’ berth in Indira Dock, MbPT, to showcase Italian art and culture.
India and Italy are ancient civilizations with rich cultural heritages that enjoy a robust people-to-people connection. Additionally, the two nations also enjoy significant bilateral trade and commerce. The two maritime nations have common interests, resulting in the burgeoning defence cooperation. The ship’s visit and high-level delegation would further the extensive diplomatic relations and mutually benefit both countries in multi-domain collaboration.
