Italian Navy ship Francesco Morosini docks in Manila

The Italian Navy vessel “Francesco Morosini” docked at the Port of Manila on Saturday as part of a five-month naval campaign in the Indo-Pacific region.

The ship made a port call at Pier 15, South Harbor.

According to a 24 Oras Weekend report by Marisol Abdurahman, the Francesco Morosini, which will have a five-day visit in the country, is the latest and most sophisticated ship of the Italian Navy.

Running at 32 knots, the vessel is 144 meters long and 60 meters wide and features a state-of-the-art cockpit.

“[The visit] is for strengthening the cooperation with the like-minded navies of the areas that we visit, and of course one area is the Indo-Pacific and the South China Sea,” said Italian Navy Fleet Chief of Staff Rear Admiral Fabio Gregori.

“It will optimize and strengthen the cooperation with the allies and partners in the Indo-Pacific region,” Gregori added.

The Italian Navy said they plan to boost their presence in the Indo-Pacific region, while acknowledging that their visit will have an impact on issues surrounding the West Philippine Sea.

“There are international law, rules to be respected,” Ambassador to the Philippines Marco Clemente said.

“...Not to interfere with the affairs of other states. The freedom of navigation and the international rules that are based on the UNCLOS are fully supported by the Italian Navy,” Gregori said.

The Italian Navy will also have joint exercises with the Philippine Navy before their visit ends.

“We’ll open up a lot about future cooperation between our two navies,” Clemente said. —Jamil Santos/ VAL, GMA Integrated News