The Armed Forces of Malta said it was grateful for the second-hand patrol boat donated by the Irish government, countering local reports – which caused a storm in the Irish press – that it was a useless piece of “junk”.

Local media reports quoting AFM personnel disgruntled at having to accept “donated hand-me-down equipment” from the Irish government did not reflect the position of the army, which said the 35-year-old patrol boat would address a short-term shortfall in naval capacity.

Irish Defence Minister Simon Coveney announced last week he was donating the decommissioned vessel for Malta’s humanitarian missions. It followed discussions held with Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela in Latvia that focused on continuing cooperation between Malta and Ireland on defence matters.

This included the training of Maltese personnel in Ireland and future potential operations cooperation, building on the successful joint training team Malta and Ireland provided to the EU training mission in Somalia.

Reports quoting a point of view‘claiming to be of AFM personnel ’did not reflect‘in any way’ the army’s position

In this context, the ministers agreed to transfer ownership of the vessel LÉ Aoife to the Armed Forces. “While the vessel is no longer viable for use in Irish waters it is ideally suited to address a pressing short-term shortfall in the naval capacity of Malta,” according to a statement by the Irish defence ministry.

It is a position supported by the army, which said reports quoting a point of view “claiming to be of AFM personnel” did not reflect “in any way” the army’s position. “The Armed Forces of Malta welcomes assistance from other nations (as it has done) by way of supply of assets that would in any way enhance its operational capabilities without further limiting other resources,” the army said.

It added the vessel was needed until a new offshore patrol vessel could be acquired, saying the support in addressing the shortfall in the interim was appreciated. The vessel was well suited for its intended purpose and “will surely provide further means for the squadron to fulfil its roles and responsibilities”.

Meanwhile, the Irish took offence at the seemingly ungrateful stance adopted by Malta.

Yesterday, the Irish Examiner reported that the Mayor of Cork has called for the Irish vessel to be donated to the city for use as a museum after what he said was the Maltese military’s “snub” of an offer to take the vessel free of charge.

Ireland had originally intended to auction the ship, which was decommissioned in January. A sister ship, LÉ Emer, was sold to a Nigerian-born businessman, Cyprian Imobhio, for €320,000 in October 2013.

It was expected that the LÉ Aoife would have made more at auction because she has an onboard desalination plant, which creates freshwater from sea water, and bow thrusters.

The Irish defence department said talks were continuing with the Maltese Home Affairs Ministry about transferring the vessel. The AFM also said further discussions were being held.

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