The Commanding Officer (CO) of the Italian Ship COMANDANTE BETTICA, Commander Francesco Marangio, paid a courtesy visit to Commodore Solomon Asiedu-Larbi, the Flag Officer Commanding (FOC) Eastern Naval Command (ENC), at Tema on Tuesday 17 June 2025.
The visit aimed at reinforcing existing bilateral cooperation, thus discussing upcoming joint exercises between the Italian and Ghana Navies.
The exercises would focus on Visit, Board, Search and Seizure (VBSS) operations as well as First Aid training, all designed to enhance teamwork during naval operations. The initiative would promote collaborative training to improve defence and security capabilities between the two navies. 
Commander Marangio emphasized Italy’s view of Ghana as a dependable security partner at both strategic and operational levels. He highlighted the importance of the collaboration and expressed Italy’s commitment to deepening defence and security cooperation, particularly in expanding maritime domain capabilities.
Commodore Asiedu-Larbi welcomed the joint activities, affirming their value in fostering interaction and boosting interoperability between both teams, noting “no single nation can entirely manage or secure the maritime domain alone.”
The FOC expressed gratitude to Commander Marangio for the visit and for maintaining the strong relationship between the two countries. He assured full support from Ghana Navy in participating in the joint exercises to facilitate mutual learning and experience-sharing.
