European Fisheries Control Agency (EFCA) director Dr Susan Steele has initiated a multipurpose maritime operation which will run in the Adriatic Sea over the coming weeks. Dr Steele, from West Cork, marked the opening in Bari, Italy, at an event hosted by the Italian Coast Guard. The operation will be led by the EFCA and has been agreed among staff from the EFCA, the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and the European Border and Coast Guard Agency (FRONTEX) in cooperation with the authorities of Italy, Croatia and Slovenia. The operations coordination centre is established in EFCA headquarters, in Vigo (Spain), with the virtual participation of those participants attending remotely. This operation includes search and rescue and anti-pollution exercises -SARex/POLex 2025- off the coast of Dubrovnik (HR), led by EMSA.