Just taking a different tack regarding the large number of migrants being brought to Malta on our patrol boats – and we should honour and respect the sterling humanitarian work these unheralded sailors do – I would like to ask a question.

In the event of an Armed Forces of Malta patrol boat having to abandon ship, an unlikely event but not beyond the realms of impossibility, with all these souls on board (what is the maximum capacity of these vessels in human cargo?) would it possess enough emergency life-saving equipment and flotation aids to accommodate all those on board?

Imagine this worst-case scenario, heaven forfend.

If such a tragedy were to occur, the European Court of Human Rights would, undoubtedly, come down on Malta like a ton of bricks for having failed to honour ‘human rights’ or for not abiding by SOLAS (Safey Of Life At Sea) regulations. Just a thought!