Operation Mare Nostrum Operation Mare Nostrum Operation Mare Nostrum was a year-long naval and air operation commenced by the Italian government on October 18, 2013, to tackle the increased immigration to Europe during the second half of 2013 and migratory ship wreckages off Lampedusa. During the operation at least 150,000 migrants, mainly from Africa and the Middle East, arrived safely to Europe. The operation ended on 31 October 2014 and was superseded by Frontex's Operation Triton. The operation is named after ancient Roman name in Latin for the Mediterranean (Mare Nostrum, "Our Sea"). The European Commission provided financial support for the operation with
Operation Mare Nostrum and Italian Air Force. The navy units deployed consisted of: The air units involved helicopters, one MM P180 aircraft equipped with FLIR, two Camcopter S-100 unmanned aerial vehicles on board "San Giusto" ship and two maritime patrol aircraft. There was also one forward logistic site in Lampedusa for logistics support. According to Italian Interior Minister Angelino Alfano, the government spent about €114 million ($142 million) on Operation Mare Nostrum. Foreign contributions Slovenia was the sole external contributor to the operation. It provided its patrol vessel "Triglav", which assisted in general surveillance of the waters surrounding Lampedusa from December 15th, 2013