European Coast Guards Test Joint Response To Multiple Maritime Emergencies

On 6 October, EMSA joined partners in the Ionian Sea off Catania for COASTEX 2026, the multipurpose maritime exercise held during the European Coast Guard Functions Forum (ECGFF) plenary under the Italian Coast Guard’s chairmanship.

The exercise brought together more than 20 Italian authorities, three EU agencies and units from Malta, Portugal and Spain, with observers from across Europe. It tested how coast guard functions work together when one incident at sea becomes several.

The day opened with demonstrations for ECGFF delegates, including a rescue supported by an uncrewed surface vessel, a helicopter medical evacuation and a Guardia di Finanza boarding of EMSA’s oil spill response vessel Adelia.

In parallel, EMSA supported a shared maritime awareness picture, exchanging information with the Italian authorities on a merchant vessel showing suspicious behaviour near critical underwater infrastructure.

In the afternoon, the live exercise moved offshore for a single scenario that evolved through various different segments:

• Fisheries control: EFCA and Italian Coast Guard teams inspected two fishing vessels after spotting fish-aggregating devices in an unusual position, supported by an EMSA remotely piloted aircraft system (RPAS) operating from the Ocean Sentinel and EMSA satellite imagery of the area.
• Law enforcement and search and rescue: the inspection uncovers unauthorised persons on board, and an overcrowded skiff is left in distress, triggering a multi-agency rescue by Italian, Spanish and EU assets.
• Pollution response: a fleeing boat collides with an oil tanker, causing a simulated spill near the Isole Ciclopi Marine Protected Area. EMSA mobilised Adelia, one of its stand-by oil spill response vessels, and Ocean Sentinel, carrying EMSA equipment. With the Italian Navy’s Vega and the anti-pollution vessel Ievoli Red, and under the coordination of the Catania Maritime Directorate, they contained and recovered the simulated pollution. EMSA RPAS operating from Adelia, together with CleanSeaNet satellite monitoring, confirmed the extent of the slick and, later, the clean-up.
• Maritime security: divers, supported by a Portuguese ROV team, locate simulated explosive devices, which Italian Navy and Maltese specialists neutralise.

Throughout the day, a Frontex surveillance aircraft, EMSA RPAS and Italian Coast Guard systems fed live footage to the International Coordination Room.

At the plenary, EMSA, EFCA and Frontex each led a workshop, EMSA’s focusing on maritime challenges from geopolitical shifts to capacity building for coast guard operations. On 7 October, the three agencies joined the European Commission (DG MARE) on a panel on synergies and new technologies. The plenary closed with the handover of the ECGFF chairmanship from the Italian Coast Guard to Spain’s Directorate General for Merchant Marine.

About the ECGFF: The European Coast Guard Functions Forum is a voluntary, non-binding forum of national authorities performing coast guard functions in EU Member States and Schengen-associated countries. Its chairmanship rotates annually.

Press Release