On April 30, “Mare Nostrum III” was ended, a new surveillance and control operation of maritime spaces. This operation, which began on the 16th of last month, was attended by Naval and Aeronaval Units that fulfilled the objective of strengthening the presence of the national State in its jurisdictional waters and exercising a dissuasive action in the assigned area.
From the Mar del Plata base, the Oceanic patrolman Ara “Storni” was deployed, under the maritime patrol division; And by the Naval Aviation, a Beechcraft B-200 M aircraft was highlighted, belonging to the Maritime Surveillance Aeronaval Squadron with a seat at the Punta Indio Punta Aeronaval Base, province of Buenos Aires.
The “Storni” ara sailed on April 16 towards the limit of the Argentine Exclusive Economic Zone (Zeea). His task was to exercise surveillance and control of the concentrations of foreign fishing vessels in the area adjacent to the ZEE, from the side of the city of Viedma in the province of Río Negro to the side of the Falkland Islands.
For its part, the B-200 made two control flights of maritime spaces, on April 23 and 28, counting a total of 8 hours and more than 41,000 square nautical miles covered. Through the sensors and on -board control system, the crew managed to identify the concentrations of foreign fishing vessels in the area of operations.
The presence of the aircraft, which together with the surface unit carried out surveillance and monitoring in the assigned area, increased the deterrent effect, forcing drag fishing vessels to stay out of our jurisdiction zone.
From the Buenos Aires Central of Operations, which operates as a command position of the Joint Maritime Command dependent on the Joint general Staff of the Armed Forces, the actions were supervised in real time, ensuring the electronic surveillance of the Argentine Sea and consolidating the presence of the State, contributing to the preservation of the vital interests of the nation.
The combination of these operational efforts allowed to significantly enhance the surveillance and control capabilities in the ZEEA, providing greater depth and effectiveness to the operation. As a result, more than 400 fishing and logistics ships were identified, some with national flag and other third countries.
It should be noted that these patrols are carried out throughout the year, intensifying between the months of November and May due to the increase in stroke related to squid fishing.
training in navigation
After the operational deployment focused on the surveillance of the ZEEA, the crew of the oceanic patrolman Ara “Storni” performed intense training exercises. Among them general zafarrancos, fire fighting drills, failure control and maneuvers with ribls semi-rigid boats (for its acronym in English inflatable boat) with which oceanic patrolmen for maritime rescue tasks and visit, registration and capture (VRC).
On board also operated a VRC endowment, which carried out specific tactical training. These practices included sweeps of naval units, moving approaches, proceedings for detention of suspicious vessels and drills of wounded care in hostile environments.
The deployment of the “Storni” ara, not only reaffirms the Argentine Navy’s commitment to the defense of sovereign interests in the sea but also with the constant preparation of its staff to operate in complex scenarios.
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