Nicola Carlone

Carlone Nicola has headed the 3rd Department – Plans and Operations from 2015 to 2018. With regard to the policies and events discussed in this Communication, the 3rd Department of the General Command – Plans and Operations (Piani e Operazioni) played a fundamental role.In June 2017, DG Home and the Italian Coast Guard signed a grant agreement for the action entitled “Assessment of the Libyan Coast Guard legal framework and capability in terms of Search and Rescue Services” . The Grant was signed by Simon Mordue on behalf of DG Home and by General Commander Vincenzo Melone, on behalf of the Italian Coast Guard . The project was given one year of framework (to be terminated in June 2018) and received 1,8 million euro from the Internal Security Fund and was coordinated by Nicola Carlone, Chief of the 3rd Department of the General Command of the Italian Coast Guard - Plans and Operations . Italy declared that:“In accordance with the outcomes of the assessment document, a second phase (implementing) should be carried out to establish a fully-fledged MRCC in Libya (communication network included) and to deliver training to Libyan personnel, in accordance with the relevant international laws.” The “LMRCC Project Team”, established under the above mentioned Grant Agreement, met multiple times in 2017 and in the first half of 2018 . The last meeting was held in Genoa on 9-11 May 2018, when Rear Admiral (UH) Nicola Carlone – in his capacity as Regional Commandant & Harbour Master of Genoa and LMRCC Project Leader – chaired the technical meeting between the Libyan Delegation composed by 12 members (representatives of the Ministries of Foreign Affaires, Defence, Communications and of the Libyan Coast Guard) and the Italian Coast Guard Delegation. (See Italy, "The establishment of the Libyan Search and Rescue zone and MRCC")

With regard to the policies and events discussed in this Communication, the 3rd Department of the General Command – Plans and Operations (Piani e Operazioni) played a fundamental role. The department deals with the operational part of the work of the Coast Guard, it coordinates the Search and Rescue operations in the Central Mediterranean and is responsible for the Italian Maritime Rescue Coordination Center (IMRCC).

The work of the 3rd Department of the Italian Coast Guard increasingly matched the objectives of the Italian Ministry of Interior, and Nicola Carlone brought a decisive shift within the Italian Coast Guard. Nicola Carlone was responsible for the implementation of the grant agreement “Assessment of the Libyan Coast Guard legal framework and capability in terms of Search and Rescue Services”, which led to the establishment of the Libyan Search and Rescue. (See Italy, The Italian Coast Guard and the IMRC).

Until 2018, Libya never declared its search and rescue region nor established its MRCC. Therefore, the Italian MRCC, managed by the Italian Coast Guard, had de facto taken over responsibilities in that area. Search and Rescue coordination by the Italian MRCC in the would-be Libyan search and rescue region had been happening on a regular basis since the end of 2013. When Mare Nostrum stopped, vessels of Triton, Sophia, as well as NGO’s rescue vessels patrolled next to Libyan waters under the Search and Rescue coordination of the Italian MRCC. (See Italy, "The establishment of the Libyan Search and Rescue zone and MRCC").