10 more Maltese oil workers arrived back in Malta this evening from Libya.

They were flown in on a private Medavia flight, the third organised in coordination with the Maltese government.

Another worker arrived this afternoon on HMS Cumberland and 23 are on their way back on a catamaran.

The sole Maltese among 250 workers brought to Malta from Benghazi on the Cumberland, Francis Camilleri said he had spent the rough 21-hour trip sitting on a blanket.

“It was an escape operation so it was a stressful trip,” Mr Camilleri said after hugging his family.

Mr Camilleri said he worked on an oil rig in the desert that was four hours drive away from Benghazi. When the political unrest erupted his company sent workers to Benghazi from where he was informed he could board the Cumberland.

The Cumberland is heading back to Benghazi on its third trip.

During his time in Benghazi he did not see violence but saw several people carrying weapons. He was there for seven weeks.

A total of 12,000 foreign workers have been brought to Malta in the past week, with some 5,000 arriving on a number of ferries today. Many have already boarded flights back home.