Members of an Italian Navy Mobile Training Team (INMTT) conducted a fisheries management workshop for 15 sailors from Cape Verde, The Gambia, Liberia, Senegal, and Sierra Leone April 10, 2010 aboard USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44) as part Africa Partnership Station (APS) West.

The sailors attended the four-day workshop for a better understanding of effective operational planning and maritime law based on the Italian and European Union legal systems.

“We do this through lectures that cover the achievement of maritime awareness, operational planning, and examples of how we manage patrol operations in the Italian navy and coast guard,” said Italian Navy Lieutenant Giuseppe Adesso, training team leader for INMTT. “We are showing African partners a model of maritime safety and security that works for us [Italian Military].”

During the workshop the INMTT tailored their training toward the specific needs of each country.

“Each country has its own need for the fisheries management program. During our last training hub in Ghana, many of the sailors had a basic understanding of maritime safety and security. During this workshop we have some countries, like Liberia, that have only recently established a national coast guard and basically have no idea on fisheries management,” said Adesso.

“It’s a good thing we are here receiving this training,” said Liberian Coast Guardsman Seaman Recruit Kpowu Mulbah. “The Armed Forces of Liberia was recently dissolved and reformed, and in that reformation, 50 soldiers were transferred to make up the coast guard. With the training we received here we will be able to go back and teach other coast guard members about protecting our territorial waters from illegal and unreported or unregulated fishing.”

Mulbah said he believes his coast guard should see this as a continuing education.

“We are receiving a lot of knowledge from the APS instructors, but I believe ever year things change and we should try to learn more and I hope we can attend APS again next year,” said Mulbah.

Gunston Hall, a Whidbey Island class amphibious dock landing ship, is on a scheduled deployment in the 6th Fleet area of responsibility in support of APS West, an international initiative developed by Naval Forces Africa, the sea component of U.S. Africa Command (AFRICOM), that aims to improve maritime safety and security in West and Central Africa.