Italian Navy PPA carries out first patrols to enforce sanctions against North Korea

Italian Navy Thaon di Revel-class multipurpose patrol ship Raimondo Montecuccoli (P 432) seen here during Exercise ‘RIMPAC' 2024. (US Navy)

An Italian Navy multi-purpose offshore patrol ship (Pattugliatore Polivalente d'Altura: PPA) has taken part in the country's first patrols against potential North Korea sanctions violations, the Japan Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) announced on 9 September.

ITS Raimondo Montecuccoli , the Italian Navy's third Thaon di Revel-class PPA, took part in the patrols in waters around Japan from late August to early September 2024, the MFA added.

Activities that were carried out by the ship centre around the monitoring and surveillance of maritime activities that may potentially violate United Nations Security Council (UNSC) sanctions that have been levelled against Pyongyang.

These include at-sea ship-to-ship transfer of goods that are done with North Korean-flagged ships.

“Japan welcomes these activities from the viewpoint of ensuring effective implementation of the relevant [UNSC resolutions] in solidarity with the international community towards the realisation of North Korea's dismantlement of all weapons of mass destruction and ballistic missiles of all ranges in a complete, verifiable, and irreversible manner,” the MFA added.

Raimondo Montecuccoli , which is also referred to as just Montecuccoli in US and Japan Ministry of Defense (MoD)-issued statements, is the Italian Navy's first PPA configured for medium-intensity operations.

Also known as the ‘light plus' configuration, the vessel is armed with a Leonardo 127/64 lightweight main gun, a 76/62 mm Super Rapid Strales/Sovraponte ‘single deck' multirole gun, and two 25 mm remotely controlled guns.

In addition, the warship is equipped with two eight-cell Naval Group Sylver A50 launchers for MBDA Aster 15/30 air-defence missiles and MBDA Italia's surface-to-air anti-missile extended self-defence (SAAM ESD) effectors.