ROME, April 23 (Reuters) - Italy is ready to deploy up to four vessels, including two minesweepers, as part of an international mission to clear the Strait of Hormuz, the navy’s chief of staff said.
European leaders met in Paris last week to discuss a multinational effort to protect shipping through the strait, which was largely closed during the U.S.-Israel war against Iran.
About a fifth of the world’s oil and liquefied natural gas normally passes through the Strait of Hormuz. More than a dozen countries, including Italy, have said they would join a mission to ensure safe passage once conditions allow.
“The contingency plan drawn up by the Chief of the Defence Staff envisages a group consisting of two minesweepers, an escort vessel and a logistics vessel,” Navy Chief of Staff Giuseppe Berutti Bergotto told state broadcaster RAI late on Wednesday.
“Obviously we are not acting alone. We are part of an international coalition, and other nations will also send minesweepers,” he said, adding that Britain, France, Belgium and the Netherlands had mine-clearing capabilities.
Berutti Bergotto said the Italian ships would sail from the northwestern port of La Spezia and would take about four weeks to reach the area. Italy currently has eight minesweepers in service.
Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said last week that the government would seek parliamentary approval before authorising Italy’s participation in the Hormuz mission.
(Reporting by Angelo Amante, editing by Alvise Armellini)
