A new firefighting boat will be on standby to put out any reported fires on small and medium-sized vessels was unveiled on Tuesday, in time for the summer season. 

The Hydrolift P45 was unveiled by Home Affairs Minister Byron Camilleri and Civil Protection Department director-general Peter Paul Coleiro. 

Coleiro said the vessel will allow for quicker and better response times for boat fires.  

The new vessel, he said, has a top speed of 81 km/hr and can jet out 5,000 litres of water per minute from its central hose.  

Every second lost at sea can mean a life, Coleiro said.  

Camilleri said the government has equipped the CPD with the necessary tools Photo: Chris Sant Fournier

Fires on boats, Coleiro said, often lead to small explosions and there was nowhere one could go, turning a beautiful day can turn into a nightmare. He added that vessel maintenance can prevent fires.  

Coleiro said tests are also under way to see if the €2 million boat can be used to fight fires on the coast.  

A new rigid inflatable boat was also unveiled on Tuesday. This will allow the CPD to have a firefighting dinghy in Gozo, he said. 

Camilleri said that the government has equipped the CPD with the necessary tools in a “silent revolution”.  

“We have made one investment after another giving the department the best tools and machinery so that its officers can work in the best way and shortest time possible,” he said.   

“The capital investment in a year is 18 times more than what it was 10 years ago,” he said adding that the CPD budget is now €8.5 million.