The offshore patrol vessel (OPV) P 71 will have a total displacement of 1,800 tons, a length of 74.8 m, a width of 13 m, a draft of 3.4 m. A two-shaft diesel-electric main power plant with a total power of 10880 kW will give the OPV a top speed “in excess of 20 knots “. The vessel will feature a Rolls-Royce scope of supply that includes a pair of PROMAS controllable pitch propellers and rudders, SC722 FCP steering gear, a TT1300 bow thruster, a TT100 stern thruster, Fin Stabilisers, and a touch-screen remote control system that incorporates the novel CanMan Touch Joystick for all units.
The crew complement consist in 60 sailors with the possibility of accommodating another 20 personnel. The ship will be armed with a 25-mm remote weapon station and a 12.7-mm machine gun. The helicopter decj can accommodate a AW139 helicopter. The ship will be equipped with two 9.1-meter RHIBs, one of which will be placed on a stern ramp under the helipad.
The naval component of the Armed Forces of Malta consists in the patrol ship P 62 (former Irish Aoife Emer type built in 1979, transferred to Malta in 2015, total displacement 1100 tons, length 65.2 meters), small patrol ship P 61 (Italian type Diciotti 2005, 420 tons, length 53.4 meters), six patrol boats, six small boats and two rescue boats. The new OPV is expected to replace the P 62 patrol ship.
For the record, the Italian shipyard was 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 against illegal immigration from Africa and the Middle East.
As we reported at the time, The Armed Forces of Malta on January 16, 2019 signed a contract with Cantiere Navale Vittoria for the construction of the P 71 OPV. The new P 71 ship will become the largest unit of the Maltese fleet. (Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta). At the same time, it will become the largest unit built by Cantiere Navale Vittoria.
The characteristics of the vessel are as follows:
Length Overall – 74.8m
Moulded breadth – 13m
Speed – More than 20 Knots
Displacement – 1800 t
Draught – 3.8m
Classification Society – ABS
Propulsion – 2 x 5440 kW Hybrid with PTI
Propellers – 2 x CPP
