On February 27, 2021, at the shipyard of the Italian shipbuilding company Cantiere Navale Vittoria SpA in Adria near Venice [...], the patrol ship P 71, which is being built for the armed forces of Malta, was launched. The launch ceremony was attended by the Commander of the Armed Forces of Malta, Brigadier Geoffrey Kermey.
Launching of the patrol ship P 71 Adria, under construction for the armed Forces of Malta, at the shipyard of the Italian shipbuilding company Cantiere Navale Vittoria SpA, 27.02.2021 (c) navalpost.com
Recall that the armed forces of Malta on January 16, 2019 signed a contract with the Italian company Cantiere Navale Vittoria SpA (Adria) for the construction of the patrol ship P 71. The new ship P 71 with a total displacement of 1,800 tons and a length of 74.8 meters should become the largest unit of the Maltese Navy (Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta). At the same time, it will be the largest unit built by Cantiere Navale Vittoria.
The Italian shipyard and its project were selected by Malta in October 2018 following a tender. The contract is worth 48.5 million euros, with 34 million euros allocated from European Union funds as part of measures to strengthen the protection of the southern borders of the EU from illegal immigration from Africa and the Middle East.
The patrol ship P 71 will have a total displacement of 1,800 tons, a length of 74.8 m, a width of 13 m, and a draft of 3.4 m. A two-shaft diesel-electric main power plant with a total capacity of 10,880 kW of main diesel engines will provide a full speed of "more than 20 knots". The crew is 50 people with the possibility of accommodating another 20. The ship will be armed with a 25 mm remote-controlled automatic artillery system and a 12.7 mm machine gun. The runway will provide a base for the AW139 type helicopter. The ship will be equipped with two 9.1-meter semi-passenger high-speed motorboats, one of which will be placed on the aft slip under the helipad.
Now the Maritime component of the armed forces of Malta includes a patrol ship P 62 (former Irish Aoife type Emer built in 1979, transferred to Malta in 2015, the total displacement of 1,100 tons, length 65,2 m), a small patrol ship P 61 (Italian buildings such as Diciotti 2005, 420 tons, a length of 53.4 m), six patrol boats, six small boats and two rescue boats. It is expected that the new ship will replace the patrol ship P 62.
The launch ceremony at the shipyard of the Italian shipbuilding company Cantiere Navale Vittoria SpA of the patrol ship P 71. Adria, under construction for the armed forces of Malta, 27.02.2021 (c) Cantiere Navale Vittoria and navalpost.com
Project image of the patrol ship P 71 (c) Cantiere Navale Vittoria under construction at the shipyard of the Italian shipbuilding company Cantiere Navale Vittoria SpA for the Armed Forces of Malta and navalpost.com
