“The Italian Navy’s new Multi-purpose Combat Ship (MPCS) Giovanni dalle Bande Nere departed Taranto on May 3 for a six-month deployment to the Indo-Pacific, underscoring Rome’s growing strategic focus on the region.” “The mission will take the ship across roughly a dozen ports in about ten countries before joining two major multinational exercises this summer — RIMPAC and Pacific Dragon — around Hawaii.” “After the Hawaii phase, the Bande Nere is expected to continue toward: Japan, including Yokosuka, headquarters of the U.S. Seventh Fleet; Vietnam; Thailand; Indonesia; and Malaysia.” “The ship will later return via Sri Lanka, Aqaba in Jordan and the Suez Canal before re-entering the Mediterranean around November.”
https://decode39.com/14792/italy-expands-indo-pacific-naval-push-with-advanced-warship-deployment/