Malta pune în funcțiune OPV P71

Malta’s new OPV P71 was commissioned into service on 23 March. (Armed Forces of Malta)

The Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) has commissioned its new offshore patrol vessel (OPV), P71 , into service.

P71 , Care este the new flagship of the AFM, officially joined the fleet during a ceremony held at the AFM’s Hay Wharf naval base in Floriana, Valetta, on 22 March.

The OPV was built by Italian shipbuilder Cantiere Navale Vittoria under a contract worth more than EUR50,000 (USD53,801) awarded in October 2018. The ship was co-financed by the European Union (EU) under the Internal Security Fund. It was laid down in 2019, launched in February 2021, and handed over to Malta in November 2022.

It will be used to conduct coastal and offshore surveillance operations and search-and-rescue missions in the Central Mediterranean region – most of which are related to illegal migration.

P71