Malta takes delivery of new ‘flagship’

The Maltese Government has taken delivery of a new 75m-long offshore patrol vessel, OPV P71, described as ‘the new flagship of the armed forces of Malta’, from Italian shipyard Cantiere Navale Vittoria.

The ship will undertake coastal surveillance, high seas patrolling, and search-and-rescue operations in the central Mediterranean.

The OPV P71 has a displacement of more than 2,000 tonnes and can accommodate a crew of about 50, with space for 20 extra staff. It has an elevated bridge with 360° vision and ballistic protection, an aft flight deck for day and night helicopter flights, and a launch and recovery ramp for a rigid hull inflatable boat (RIB) of about nine metres in length.

A second launch and recovery position with a motion-compensated A-frame crane is located on the starboard side of the vessel, enabling a second RIB of the same length to be deployed while the vessel is underway. Both RIBs have a maximum speed of more than 40 knots.

Two medium-speed diesel engines, each generating up to 5,400 kW of power to variable pitch propellers, give the vessel a speed of more than 20 knots. Alternatively, two electric motors powered by two out of three 750-kW generators can be used to provide patrol duty speeds ranging from 9 to 12 knots.

Built to ABS class, the OPV P71 also has two transverse thrusters, forward and aft, and retractable active stabilising fins to aid stability and seakeeping characteristics. The vessel has a 25-mm remotely controlled weapon, light machine guns of various calibres, and an integrated command, control, and navigation system that includes a 2D surveillance radar, a navigation radar, and satellite communications.