The USS Laboon, in Malta until Saturday, stopped here from Spain before heading to Greece and moving to the horn of Africa in an anti-piracy operation.

The ship is not open to the public for security reasons.

It is on its third deployment on such missions in about 4.5 years, quite rare for a US ship.

The ship is flying under Nato flag as part of its operation Ocean Shield, which is working together with Operation Atalanta.

Maltese soldiers have taken part in the latter operation on a Dutch military vessel which had intercepted a boat with six suspected pirates in the Gulf of Aden, off Somalia.

While in Malta, the Laboon’s crew will share experience and techniques with AFM’s C Company. They will also take part in a community relations project at the Marsa Open Center and a beach clean-up at Selmun Bay.

The USS Laboon belongs to the Arleigh Burke class of destroyers, whose principal missions include escort operations and defense against submarine and air attacks.

It has a crew of 31 officers and 236 enlisted sailors and is commanded by Commander Donald J. Donegan, who assumed command of the ship in June 2009.