Offshore Patrol Vessel P71 delivered to Armed Forces of Malta
Starting from the Chioggia port where it was moored for the completion of sea trials, today it entered the port of Valletta to be entrusted to the Maltese government, the largest Offshore Patrol Vessel ever built by Cantiere Navale Vittoria, Venetian company specialized in the design and construction of military, paramilitary, work, commercial and transport boats up to 100 meters in length.
The unit, a 75-meter long OPV, built in Italy will therefore be the new flagship of the Armed Forces of Malta and will be used in coastal surveillance operations, extended patrols on the high seas and Search and Rescue operations.
OPV P71 is the result of the contract, with a total value of over 50 million euros, obtained by the Venetian company through the participation in a preselection first and in an international public tender then headed by the Ministry of Defense of the island and co -financed (75%) by the EU under the Internal Security Fund (ISF) 2014-2020, the fund established by the Union for the implementation of the internal security strategy, law enforcement cooperation and the management of the external borders of European countries.
“All our design and construction skills are summarized in this record-breaking boat – comments Paolo Duò, President of Cantiere Navale Vittoria – We have created an OPV capable of responding to all the requests of a particularly rigorous client that is attentive to compliance with very high technical standards and performance. From today, Italian engineering and construction techniques will be at the service of the Armed Forces of the Republic of Malta. With great honor we entrust to the Maltese Government, whom we thank again for the trust placed, a patrol vessel that will guarantee the Armed Forces of Malta an instrument of great support for surveillance and control operations in the heart of the Mediterranean.”
