Search and Rescue, Fire Fighting and Anti-Pollution operations at sea / Hidma ta' tfittxija u Salvatagg, Tifi tan-Nar u Operezzjonijiet kontra t-tniggis f'ibhra Maltin

Search and Rescue, Fire Fighting and Anti-Pollution operations at sea

Over the last days incorrect reports have appeared in the newspapers regarding the boats that the Civil Protection Department has received as part of the technical assistance provided to Malta by the Italian Government. The agreement reached in 1994 on co-operation in the field of civil protection is being entirely financed under the current Italian Protocol.

The department of Civil Protection this year received two rescue launches. This delivery was part of a larger consignment which includes a fire-fighting and anti-pollution at sea Tug Boat, and a medium-sized, fire-fighting, patrol vessel. Both these boats are to arrive shortly. The four boats were donated to Malta following the agreement reached on the 3rd October 1996 during the visit to Malta by the then Italian Minister for Civil Protection, Professor Francesco Barberi.

Two of the current roles of the Armed Forces of Malta are:

first - their responsibility as a coast guard service for surveillance of Malta’s territorial waters and fishing zone; and
secondly - all maritime search and rescue in Malta’s Search and Rescue Region.

In attending to these functions the AFM have not only built up the necessary expertise and experience in maritime operations and related skills, but they are also at present investing in upgrading the berthing facilities at Haywharf.

The Government has therefore decided that in the interests of making the most cost effective use of existing resources, the four vessels bought recently under the Italian Protocol for civil protection should be put into immediate use by deploying them to the existing trained AFM manpower and base facilities.

Under these arrangements the four vessels will remain the property of the Civil Protection Department and the AFM will only act as the executive arm of that Department in fire-fighting and anti-pollution operations at sea. At the same time the vessels will be a major enhancement of the AFM’s current capabilities in their prime coast guard role of maritime surveillance, embracing both anti-illegal immigration and anti-illegal drug trafficking and the prevention of illegal fishing and other law-breaking at sea. The vessels will also provide a considerable boost to the AFM’s search and rescue capabilities in Malta’s area of responsibility, which covers some 200,000 square kilometres.

Hidma ta' tfittxija u Salvatagg, Tifi tan-Nar u Operezzjonijiet kontra t-tniggis f'ibhra Maltin

Matul dawn l-ahhar jiem dehru rapporti zbaljati fil-gurnali dwar lanec illi d-Dipartiment ghall-Protezzjoni Civili rcieva bhala parti mill-ghajnuna teknika moghtija lil Malta wara ftehim mal-Gvern Taljan. Il-ftehim milhuq fl-1994 kien dwar koperazzjoni fil-qasam tal-protezzjoni civili u qed ikun iffinanzjat kollu permezz tal-Protokoll Taljan li hemm bhalissa fis-sehh.

Id-Dipartiment ghall-Protezzjoni Civili din is-sena rcieva zewg lanec ghas-salvatagg. Din l-ghotja hi biss parti minn konsenja li tinkludi lanca ta’ rmonk ghat-tifi tan-nar u ghal kontra t-tniggiz, flimkien ma’ lanca ohra ta’ daqs medju ghal skop ta’ patrol u tifi tan-nar.

Dawn iz-zewg lanec ghandhom jaslu fi zmien qasir. L-erba’ lanec inghataw lil Malta wara l-ftehim milhuq fit-3 ta’ Ottubru, 1996 matul iz-zjara li kien ghamel f’Malta l-Ministru Taljan ghall-Protezzjoni Civili ta’ dak iz-zmien, il-Professur Francesco Barberi.

Fil-prezent, zewg hidmiet ewlenin tal-Forzi Armati ta’ Malta huma:

l-ewwel - ir-responsabbiltà ta’ servizz ta’ ghassa tal-kosta flimkien ma’ sorveljanza ta’ l-ibhra territorjali u zoni tas-sajd Maltin;
it-tieni - it-tfittxija u salvatagg fir-regjun lokali.

Il-FAM, matul il-qadi taghhom f’din il-hidma, komplew mhux biss jibnu fuq dak li kienu kapaci jaghmlu bl-esperjenza li kisbu f’operazzjonijiet marittimi u xoghol iehor relatat, izda wkoll investew fit-titjib tal-facilitajiet ta’ rmigg li huma ghandhom f’Haywharf.

Il-Gvern ghalhekk iddecieda li, bl-iskop biex jaghmel l-ahjar uzu minn rizorsi ezistenti, l-erba’ lanec li nxtraw permezz tal-Protokoll Taljan ghall-uzu ta’ protezzjoni civili ghandhom jibdew jintuzaw immedjatament mill-FAM fejn hemm diga’ nies imharrga u facilitajiet adattati.

B’dawn l-arrangamenti l-erba’ lanec jibqghu l-propjetà tad-Dipartiment ghall-Protezzjoni Civili u l-FAM jkollhom biss ir-rwol bhala l-fergha ezekuttiva ta’ dak id-Dipartiment ghal meta tinqala’ l-htiega ta’ xi tifi ta’ nar u ta’ xi hidma kontra t-tniggis fil-bahar.

Fl-istess hin dawn il-lanec ikomplu jzidu mal-kapacità li ghandhom bhalissa l-F.A.M. fir-rwol ewlieni taghhom ta’ ghassa mal-kosta u sorveljanza marittima li tinkorpora hidma kontra l-immigrazzjoni illegali, traffikar ta’ drogi u sajd illegali, flimkien ma’ prevenzjoni ta’ ksur ta’ ligijiet ohra fl-ibhra Maltin. Il-lanec se jkunu wkoll forza addizzjonali effettiva ghal tfittxija u salvatagg mill-FAM; dan kollu f’medda ta’ 200,000 kilometru kwadru ta’ bahar miftuh.

05.11.98