A group of 44 Italians were evacuated from Tripoli on a Virtu Ferries catamaran and yesterday evening made a brief stopover in Malta, as the vessel called in to refuel on its way to Augusta in Sicily.

The evacuation follows an order by the Italian government for its embassy to suspend operations in the wake of the recent escalation of violence in Libya.

The catamaran San Ġwann left the port of Tripoli yesterday at about 12.15pm and was escorted by a drone and an Italian Navy vessel all the way to Malta, where it entered the Grand Harbour at about 7pm. The vessel, chartered by the Italian government, had left Malta at 1am on Sunday.

“The deteriorating situation in Libya made it necessary to close (the embassy),” Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said in a statement.

Defence Minister Roberta Pinotti said in an interview with Il Messaggero newspaper that groups in Libya that have been infiltrated by extremists should be “anaesthetised” and a peace-keeping mission should be carried out across the country.

“If we sent up to 5,000 men to Afghanistan, in a country like Libya that concerns us much more closely, and in which the risk of deterioration is much more worrying for Italy, our mission could be substantial and demanding, also in terms of numbers,” she said.

No decision had been made about exactly how to proceed, Pinotti said in the interview, published two days after Mr Gentiloni said Italy was “ready to fight” in Libya if needs be.

Prime Minister Matteo Renzi on Saturday called on the UN to carry out a stronger political and diplomatic mission in Libya, adding that Italy would not “set out on its own”.

In the early part of the 20th century Italy was the colonial power in Libya and it still follows Libyan affairs closely.

(Additional reporting by Reuters)