DUBAI: Italy has activated its navy to prepare for a possible operation to ensure the safe passage of Italian ships through the Bab Al-Mandab Strait, Defence Minister Guido Crosetto said on Thursday.

Crosetto said Italy would not wait for the European Union’s Aspides maritime mission to decide whether Italian vessels could safely transit the strategic waterway.

“We have decided, with the chief of staff, not to wait for Aspides to decide whether the ships can pass or not,” Crosetto said at the Risorsa Mare forum in La Spezia, according to Italian news agency ANSA.

The Italian Defence Ministry said Crosetto had instructed the Navy to prepare what was necessary to guarantee the safe transit of Italian ships through Bab Al-Mandab.

ANSA reported that Italy is assessing whether military assets already deployed in the region could be placed under national command. The frigate Bergamini, currently in Djibouti, could potentially be used, although no final deployment decision has been announced.

Crosetto said any deployment would be decided with the government and parliament.