The flag of the Republic of Malta waves on the Offshore Patrol Vessel P71 to celebrate the entry into service of the new flagship of the Malta Armed Forces built by Cantiere Navale Vittoria. On March 22nd, in the AFM naval base in Floriana, Valletta, in the presence of the Minister of the Interior, Security, Reforms and Equality of the Republic of Malta, Byron Camilleri, the Minister of Economy, the European Funds and the Territory of the Republic of Malta, Silvio Schembri, the Parliamentary Secretary for European Funds, Chris Bonett, the Head of the Maltese Armed Forces, Brigadier Clinton O’Neill, the Italian Ambassador in Valletta, Fabrizio Romano, and by the Board Member of Cantiere Navale Vittoria, Luigi Duò, the official delivery ceremony of the patrol vessel.
The 75-metre-long unit, built in the Adria headquarter, will be used in coastal surveillance operations, extended patrolling on the high seas and Search and Rescue operations. The OPV P71 is the result of the order, with a total value of over 50 million euros, obtained through participation in a pre-selection first and in an international public tender then headed by the Ministry of Defense of the Island and co-funded (for 75%) by the EU under the Internal Security Fund (ISF) 2014-2020, the fund set up by the Union for the implementation of the internal security strategy, law enforcement cooperation and the management of the external borders of European countries.
Luigi Duò, Board Member of Cantiere Navale Vittoria, during the ceremony thanked the institutions present and the representatives of the AFM for their collaboration and trust, underlining that: “The vessel now supplied to the Maltese Armed Forces, due to its design qualities, technical and equipment, will be able to represent an international point of reference for units of the same type. Honored by the relationship of esteem and collaboration built up over the years and which began decades ago with the delivery of the two Melita SAR units, we look to the future with hope, certain that the P71 unit, our 890th unit, will be up to all the specific tasks for which it was conceived and created. We just have to wish the men and women of the Armed Forces good seas”.
Cantiere Navale Vittoria has developed itself up to becoming an industrial reality of international reference that, despite the adversities, continues to build up. About 300 workers, among direct and induced employment, contribute to this success. As a result, a flexible and agile structure, of great responsibility, allows, with quality and rapidity, the construction of boats. The boats committed to safety are the feather of Cantiere Navale Vittoria’s cap, chosen by the Police and by the Coasts Guards in many Mediterranean countries. Particularly requested are the patrol boat (SAR), unsinkable and self-straighten. Moreover, in the field of defence there is a strong experience on patrol boats and fast interceptors. In recent years, a hundred have been built for various and prestigious clients: Coast Guards of Italy, Slovenia, Croatia, Libya, Malta, Cyprus, Tunisia, Greece, Malta and many others.
