Harbour Protection 26: COMSUBIN trains in Cartagena against underwater threats in ports

The third edition of Harbour Protection 26, an international exercise focused on protecting port infrastructure from asymmetric threats, was held in Cartagena, Spain.

Activities also included the neutralization of improvised explosive devices, known by the acronym IEDD, in an underwater environment.

In addition to Italy, ten countries took part: Spain, Norway, France, Romania, Portugal, the United States, the United Kingdom, Belgium, Chile and the Netherlands. The aim was to compare experiences, train and strengthen interoperability.

Palombari in underwater scenarios

Italy was represented by the Palombari of the Gruppo Operativo Subacquei, the GOS di COMSUBIN. Personnel operated in training scenarios focused on the security of port areas.

The activities enabled participants to share tactics, techniques and procedures. The exercise also fostered mutual understanding and the further development of capabilities used in port protection.

ROVs and AUVs support operators

Supporting the Palombari were Remotely Operated Vehicle (ROV) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) systems, respectively remotely controlled and autonomous underwater systems.

Their use made it possible to test the integration of specialized operators and unmanned systems. Harbour Protection 26 therefore focused training on combining skills, experience and technology in the maritime and underwater domains.