18/09/2017 (Agence Europe) – On Monday 18 September, the EUNAVFOR Med Sophia operation announced that a new round of training began at the Italian Navy Petty Officer Academy (Scuola Sottufficiali della Marina - Taranto) on Sunday 17 March for the Libyan navy and 87 coastguards. The 87 trainees (officers and petty officers) include three tutors and they will attend two different training modules of respectively eight and three weeks (“Patrol Boat Crew Training” and “Train the Trainers”). The training programme will finish in mid-November and will focus on navigation activities, international maritime law, search and rescue doctrine, international human rights law, asylum request procedure, first aid and medical care at sea and public information. Thus far 136 Libyans have been trained by Sophia. (CG)