When USS Mount Whitney, the command ship of the Sixth Fleet, steamed into Grand Harbour on Sunday for routine repairs, it was only the second US warship in nine years to make such a visit.
The last warship to be repaired at the shipyard was the USS La Salle in 2003 when the vessel was given an extensive refit two years after undertaking controversial repair works at the then state-controlled yard.
But it has not been political controversy, the likes of which was seen in 2001 when the General Workers’ Union had opposed repair works on the USS La Salle, that has kept US warships away from the shipyards.
According to Antonio Palumbo, who owns the Cospicua-based Palumbo Shipyard repairing the ship, the biggest problem is that Malta does not have a status of forces agreement (SOFA) with the US.
SOFA regulates the conduct and outlines the privileges of foreign military personnel in a host country, particularly in relation to civil and criminal jurisdiction. It includes conditions on the carriage of weapons and the wearing of uniforms, two issues that would require legislative changes in Malta.
The US gives preference to countries that have such agreements when awarding repair contracts for its warships but the matter remains controversial given Malta’s constitutional neutrality.
“Last year our shipyard lost €12 million in repair works on the same ship after the contract was won by a Croatian shipyard where SOFA is in place,” Mr Palumbo told The Times yesterday.
The shipyard managed to get around the lack of an agreement, he said, because the USS Mount Whitney has not been dry-docked and instead berthed alongside Dock Six beneath Corradino Hill.
Mr Palumbo said the repair works were not major and the ship was expected to leave port after 11 to 15 days.
“I hope this is a first step to getting more such business and although SOFA is sensitive for Malta I hope some form of equilibrium is found with the US on the matter,” he said.
A government spokesman confirmed Malta did not have a SOFA agreement with the US or “any other form of agreement” to facilitate this repair activity.
“USS Mount Whitney came to Malta for repairs following a commercial tender won by Palumbo Shipyards and the repair activity further testifies to the excellent relationship between Malta and the US,” the spokesman said.
The USS Mount Whitney has 200 crew members and last visited Malta in 2007.
On Sunday US chargé d’affaires Arnold Campbell said Malta’s reputation as “a safe and welcoming port had a significant influence” in the US navy’s decision to bring the ship to Malta.
ksansone@timesofmalta.com