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词条 Protector-class coastal patrol boat
释义

  1. P51

  2. P52

  3. References

  4. External links

{{other uses|Protector class (disambiguation){{!}}Protector class}}{{Infobox Ship Image
Ship image=US Navy 111205-N-FV216-156 The Armed Forces of Malta counter piracy vessel protection detachment demonstrates aerial boarding procedures during Eur.jpgShip caption=Malta's patrol boats on an anti-piracy training mission in 2011
}}{{Infobox Ship Class Overview		Name=Protector classBuilders=Bollinger Shipyards, Lockport, LouisianaOperators=Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of MaltaClass before=Kondor I classClass after=Subclasses=Cost=Built range= 2002–2004In service range= 2002–presentIn commission range=Total ships building=Total ships planned=Total ships completed=2Total ships cancelled=Total ships active=2Total ships laid up=Total ships lost=Total ships retired=Total ships preserved=
}}{{Infobox Ship Characteristics		Hide header=Header caption=Ship type=Patrol boatShip tonnage=92|LT}}26.5|m|ft|abbr=on}}5.8|m|ft|abbr=on}}Ship height=1.6|m|ft|abbr=on}}Ship depth=Ship power=Ship propulsion=2 × MTU diesels25|kn|lk=in}}900|nmi|km|abbr=on|lk=in}}Ship endurance=5 daysShip boats=Ship complement=10Ship sensors=1 × Navigation I-Band radarShip EW=Ship armament=2 × 12.7 mm machine gunsShip armor=Ship notes=
}}

The Protector-class coastal patrol boats are a class of coastal patrol boats of the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta. They are {{convert|87|ft|m|adj=on}} patrol boats based on the Stan 2600 patrol vessel design from the Netherlands shipbuilding firm Damen Group. The Hong Kong Police were the first organization to order vessels based on this design. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has 73 patrol boats of this class, where they are known as the {{sclass2-|Marine Protector|patrol boat|4}}. Malta ordered two vessels, and they were built by Bollinger Shipyards to the USCG specifications. They were given pennant numbers P51 and P52. In 2013, both patrol boats were upgraded with new equipment including infrared cameras and a rigid hull inflatable boat. The new equipment cost €1.7 million and was co-funded by the European Union’s External Fund.[1]

P51

P51 was commissioned on 18 November 2002, and it was the AFM's first vessel to be ordered brand new, as all previous ones were bought or donated after being retired from foreign naval service. P51 took part in the search and rescue operations after the Simshar tragedy in July 2008, and it recovered the dead body of Carmelo Bugeja and took the sole survivor Simon Bugeja from the fishing boat Grecale to Xatt it-Tiben in Floriana.[2] Since its commissioning, the patrol boat has rescued the lives of over 2000 illegal immigrants and covered over 50000 nautical miles.[3] Some examples include:

  • 25 August 2009: P51 intercepted a boat with 60 distressed Eritrean immigrants[4][5]
  • 15 September 2009: P51 intercepted a dinghy with 68 immigrants[6]
  • 20 August 2012: P51 and a King Air aircraft intercepted a boat with 56 men and 24 women[7]

On November 12, 2012, the tenth anniversary of her commissioning, the Times of Malta published an article to reflect on the P51{{'}}s first ten years. The article stated that:

"...P51 has since covered 52,230 nautical miles and rescued 2,169 persons. It conducted 63 boarding operations at sea and 15 fisheries enforcement operations."

  • 30 December 2018: P51 rescued 69 migrants from a wooden boat in distress, 117NM south west of Malta. [8] [9]
  • 28 March 2019: P51 took part in an operation to retake merchant ship Elhibru 1 which was overpowered by migrants refusing to go back to Libya. The operation was a success and the merchant vessel was safely escorted to Boiler Wharf, Senglea. Aboard the ship there were 108 rescued migrants which included 19 women and 12 children. 5 of the migrants were arraigned with an act of 'Piracy'. [10] [11] [12]

P52

P52 was commissioned two years later on 7 July 2004.[13] It also took part in the search and rescue efforts after the 2008 Simshar tragedy and recovered the decomposing body of the Somali fisherman who was on the sunken boat.[2] Like P51 it also rescued hundreds of illegal immigrants over the years, such as:

  • 2 June 2012: P52 and a King Air aircraft intercepted a dinghy with 113 immigrants about 50 miles south of Dingli[14]
  • 20 July 2014: 81 migrants were transferred to P52 from the freighter which rescued them from their boat in distress[15]
  • 28 August 2014: 257 migrants were transferred to P52 and another patrol boat from a cargo ship which rescued them from their sinking boat[16]
  • 9 January 2019: 49 migrants were transferred to P52 and sister ship P51 from NGO vessels Sea-Watch 3 and Sea-Eye after they spent 19 days going back and fourth into Maltese territorial waters. [17] [18] [19] [20]

References