Eight miles off Lebanon, out of Israeli missile range, evacuees of several nationalities came up on the deck of HMS Bulwark to gaze back at Beirut under siege. Many had tears streaming down their faces; others tried to contact relatives and friends left behind on their mobile phones; some lit a cigarette. Among them were Captain Reuben Lanfranco and his Lebanese lawyer wife Corinne, who originally were in Beirut to visit relatives.

"It was very moving and terribly sad," Captain Lanfranco says as he recalls that moment ten days ago. "Some of those people knew they would probably not see Lebanon again for a long time, others probably never again." Mrs Lanfranco's family, who had lived through similiar situations before, were defiant and stayed behind.

For the 1,300 evacuees on board HMS Bulwark, a Royal Navy landing ship, those few minutes were a welcome breather from the cramped conditions below deck. At least, they were on the first leg to safety and they would be in the Cypriot resort of Limassol in about 12 hours.

Captain Lanfranco, the director of the MCAST Maritime Institute and a former Armed Forces of Malta maritime officer, explains how the previous Saturday, soon after the attacks on Beirut began, he finally managed to get through to the British Embassy after several attempts. He was told to call back, as at that point staff were unsure about evacuation arrangements.

The airport was bombed and the ports had been blockaded. On the Monday, the Lanfrancos made it on the evacuee list. Numerous calls later, on the Wednesday, the Lanfrancos were told to make their way to The Forum, an exhibition centre in Beirut, where they would be processed for evacuation.

"The British were very efficient and extremely helpful," Captain Lanfranco pointed out. "They looked after us as Malta is a member of the EU and the Commonwealth. I know that Spain had deployed a military aircraft to evacuate its nationals, some Italians and an Egyptian. The Italians took only Italians. The French took first the sick, then the elderly, then women and children, then residents and tourists, so it took ages. The Canadians left their arrangements to the very last minute."

He described scenes of confusion as a mass exodus from Beirut and the south of the country was under way. "Thousands of people made a rush for the Syrian border, but that became problematic once the bridges were hit. There were massive traffic jams and people sat in stationary cars for ten hours in the heat. The locals who stayed reverted to the war lifestyle they have lived many times before. People rushed to buy food, water and fuel.

"Many, like my wife's family, moved to the mountain resorts where the bombardments could still be heard. As we drove through Beirut we saw scenes of destruction. Shops in Beirut are usually open until very late - the Lebanese are very industrious - so it was very eerie driving through empty streets. Strangely enough, a very popular pub and restaurant was packed, despite people being able to hear the explosions and feel the tremors."

At the Forum, the lengthy processing involved an eight-hour wait, before people could board buses to the port. "Like many others, we were told that our bags were too big and we needed to take smaller ones on board. Many people had come to The Forum from miles away and they literally abandoned their possessions."

Captain Lanfranco says it was a very frustrating time, although he had words of praise for the British diplomats and British Army Light Infantry personnel who were deployed to help with the paperwork.

Then the news came that they would not be leaving that day as the HMS York, which was originally meant to evacuate them, had to leave as it was ordered out of port by the Israelis. Most people had to sleep out on the streets with the few possessions they had held on to as the bombardment (which usually began at around 11.30 p.m.) raged on, while the Lanfrancos turned to relatives to put them up.

Next morning, the evacuees boarded HMS Bulwark at 12.30 p.m. and were led to the Junior Ratings' Mess.

"We were asked to wait until everybody was settled in. About 250 people were accommodated in a space that would normally only take about 30 uncomfortably. People were tired and upset as they tried to sleep on the floor, babies were crying.

"The ship left at about 7 p.m. We were given warm meals - actually they were combat rations but nobody was complaining. The Royal Marine detachment personnel on board were manning guns until we were safely out at sea. All personnel on board were very understanding and courteous, and we are truly grateful to them. Corinne and I were the first to disembark and made it to Larnaca very quickly but in time to board our flight to Malta."

Now, as the international community races to find a diplomatic solution to the crisis, the Lanfrancos pray a ceasefire will take hold soon for the sake of their relatives, whom they hope to be able to visit again soon.