Maltese Navy P23 and P32 on duty.
Italian Navy frigate F 564 Lupo alongside at Valletta.
French Navy frigate F710 La Fayette at Valletta.
Libyan Navy frigate 212 Al Hani at Valletta.This is a small selection of various naval vessels of different countries that visit Valletta. Malta has a fleet of patrol boats that patrol the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino and are assigned fishery patrol duties. A beautiful and historic city Valletta was for decades a principal Mediterranean base of the British Royal Navy with a large naval shipyard. NAUTICAL LOG spent two months there in June/July 1976 getting a major refit. The shipyard can be seen behind the Italian frigate F564 Lupo in that photograph. One can get a dghajje across the harbour after work from St. Lawrence Landing Place Birgu or the Three Villages buses, #1 or #2 Vittoriosa, #3 Senglea and #4 Kalkara in those days. The bus trip around Grand Harbour to Valletta was fun most everybody was going for the evening promenade and Maltese are friendly so one usually ended up starting the walk with people from the bus. Afterward head off dinner and perhaps a visit to Strait Street, known to seafarers as "The Gut" for dessert.
These photos are of typical Naval vessels that the Sea Shepherd Pirate Group have got themselves involved with. The Netherlands is the Flag State of the Pirate Group vessels which is a certain embarrassment to the European Union but then the Dutch have always been a more difficult member of the EU. Malta has very good relationships with both Libya and Italy while working well with France on fishery protection and other naval matters, as indeed do most of the European Union Nations.
Good Watch.
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