Brand new, Lm2.2m US patrol boat donated to AFM

A new patrol boat worth around Lm2.2 million was handed over to the government yesterday by US ambassador Anthony Gioia.

The boat, which will bear pennant number P51, is equipped with two .50 calibre machine guns and will be used by the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta in search and rescue operations.

This is the first time the squadron has acquired a new boat since its inception in November, 1970.

The money for this boat came out of a grant of $13 million (about Lm5.4 million) to Malta by the US government through the US Securities Assistance Act of 2000.

Speaking during the commissioning of the boat at the Maritime Squadron headquarters in Hay Wharf, Floriana, the prime minister announced that the rest of the money would be used for the setting up of a regional air and rescue training centre at Hal Safi.

The centre will cater for students from the Mediterranean and is expected to be operational next April.

Dr Fenech Adami said Malta had to shoulder the responsibility to patrol an area of about 250,000 square kilometres.

This was a tough task, he said, and it was therefore important to bolster the capabilities of the squadron in order to do the job properly.

He recalled that in 1971, the US had passed to the squadron two ex-US Swift Class patrol craft which are actually still in operation.

The squadron patrols the seas for drug and illegal immigrant traffic as well as law enforcement and fisheries control.

"Fisheries control within the 25 mile conservation zone is something the government is still arguing with the EU," Dr Fenech Adami said. Describing the boat as 'top of the line and the best in the world with state-of-the-art equipment and the most advanced radar system', the US ambassador said the commissioning of the craft was a tribute to the long standing cooperation between Malta and the US.

Malta, he said, was recognised as a leader in search and rescue operation in the region, particularly in view of the recent humanitarian rescue of illegal immigrants in distress.

Brigadier Rupert Montanaro said the boat was a priority project for the AFM and a historical first in that the squadron was getting a brand new boat that was actually designed for its particular role.

The US Coast Guard had provided hands-on training to the members of the Maritime Squadron.

"The threats on the high seas can only be faced with the appropriate equipment and trained personnel," the brigadier said.

The boat of the US Coast Guard Protector Class was built by Bollinger Shipyards Inc. Representatives from Bollinger presented the maritime squadron with a scale model of the boat.

It is designed to accommodate a crew of 12 for a five-day mission. The internal arrangements include four, two-man cabins, one four-man cabin, an office, galley and mess and a 200-square-metre bridge with 360-degree visibility.

The vessel is capable of a maximum continuous speed of 25 knots, a patrolling speed of 10 knots and a range of 2,000 miles. The craft has a fixed ramp incorporated in the stern which allows the tender to steer into the patrol boat while the latter is underway.

The commissioning crew led by the captain, Lt Donald Debono, will be known as 'plankowners'. The title is based on the tradition dating back to the early years of ship building. When the commissioning crew were transferred, each was presented with a plank from the ship's deck with their name engraved on it.

With the advent of steel, the practice now is for each crew member to receive a plankowners' certificate.