The ships however, were found to be in a worse state than originally believed, forcing the Iraqi navy to reconsider the deal and instead buy 4, newer, smaller modified-Diciotti class vessels.

The 5 British corvettes and 1 Soviet patrol boat operated by the Saddam Hussein-era Iraqi Navy were destroyed in the 1991 Gulf War and the 2003 U.S. invasion of Iraq, respectively.

It also purchased four Lupo-class frigates and six Assad-class corvettes from Italy, although these were never delivered because of international sanctions following the Iraqi invasion of Kuwait in 1990.

On 30 September 2004, the ICFD assumed the responsibility of protecting the Iraqi coastline, with actual patrol operations beginning the following day, on 1 October 2004.

The protocols were developed, written and mediated by a British Royal Marine barrister; Lieutenant Colonel David Hammond, RM;[6] working alongside the heads and staffs of both the Kuwaiti Navy and Iraqi Navy and which saw the historic first meeting on board a British warship HMS Chatham (F87) on 8 May 2008.

The protocols were historically ratified and signed on 11 November 2008 at Kuwait Naval Base in the presence of Vice-Admiral William Gortney, USN; commander of the United States Naval Forces Central Command based in Bahrain and remain an enduring success story in the region highlighting co-operation and co-ordination between the two countries.

On 30 April 2010, Iraqi naval forces took over responsibility for the protection of the Khawr al-Amaya and Basra oil terminals, as well as the ports of Umm Qasr and al-Zubair.

A total of six ships were ordered by Iraq in the 1980s, but were never delivered as a result of the arms embargo imposed after the Gulf War in 1991.

Four of the six ships were eventually purchased by the Royal Malaysian Navy in October 1995 as the Laksamana-class corvette, while the remaining two were mothballed at La Spezia.

[10] On 15 February 2005 the Iraqi Navy signed a $101 million contract with the Italian Government to provide four Saettia MK4 class Offshore-Patrol Vessels.

In cooperation with the Marina Militare (Italian Navy), each commissioning crew is provided with a week's bridge simulator course at the Academy in Livorno.

[11] In May 2009, the first vessel, Patrol Ship 701 named Fatah (Arabic for Opening), was handed over at the Muggiano, La Spezia shipyard.

The crew had been training since January 2009, and would now be heading for Umm Qasr, a 20-day/5,000 nautical miles journey via the Mediterranean, Suez Canal and Red Sea.

[12] The vessels will be used to patrol the exclusive economic zone, control maritime traffic, for search and rescue and fire fighting.