The Migrant Offshore Aid Station is to set sail tomorrow on yet another life-saving mission but with a difference. It has partnered up with Doctors Without Borders and its 20 or so crew includes a nurse and two doctors from the medical emergency organisation.
Today, The Malta Independent went on board the vessel -berthed in Marsa - to get a feel of the excitement that has engulfed the Phoenix 1 crew before they take off another private-led mission which will cost over €3.4 million to fund.
Last year, MOAS saved a staggering 3,000 lives in a matter of 60 days. Doctors Without Borders or Médecins Sans Frontières, will be tasked to handle the post-rescue care of migrants taken on board.
The emergency medical organisation's communication advisor Caitlin Ryan explained to this newsroom that the vessel can take up to 400 migrants, including the crew at one given time.
Its mission: to rescue migrants who face difficulties on crossing to Europe. The vessel is equipped with a one-million-euro state-of-the-art unmanned drone used to locate migrant boats. The drone is being leased from Austrian firm Schiebel. The vessel is also armed with Rigid Hull Inflatable Boats (RHIBs)
"MOAS is a privately funded migrant rescue mission and its aim is to prevent loss of life at sea by providing aid to migrants crossing the Mediterranean in unsafe boats.
"We work closely with the Italian Coastguard which guides us which port in Italy we can disembark rescued migrants," a crew member explained.
The boat can take up to 400 migrants, apart from the crew, at one time, however in the event there are more migrants in distress, the vessel is armed with life rafts.
The founders are Chris and Regina Catrambone who have contributed millions out of their own pocket to buy the 40-metre ship with the aim of providing assistance at sea. Retired Armed Forces of Malta Brigadier Martin Xuereb leads the mission.
Meanwhile, the ambassador of MOAS is German-Latvian television actor Kristian Kiehling - who starred in the popular British television series EastEnders. In Britain he is also known for his role in All the Small Things (2009) and Will (2011) but he has starred in German film productions as well and the popular drama Tsunami. He portrayed an eastern European character in EastEnders.
He explained that his father - who was a captain of a merchant vessel - drowned in 1995. Both his parents were refugees, his father having escaped the GDR and his mother the Soviet occupation in eastern Europe, known as the Iron Curtain.
"This is what inspired me to connect with MOAS and support its mission," he said, having spared his EastEnders role, at least for the time-being, to become a humanitarian aid worker. 
A nurse on board the vessel - who has been working for Doctors Without Borders for a good 15 years, said that she is excited and grateful to have been given the opportunity to form part of this six-month life-saving operation.
Mary Jo Frawley said that she has worked with many people in need of medical aid in various countries, including Syria, South Sudan, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
"It's amazing what parents do for their children, they will travel for miles on end to get vaccinations for their children," she said, when asked whether she feels it makes sense that migrants embark on perilous crossings when they know they can die on their way.
"They do it to save their families, they are desperate to seek new pastures," nurse Frawley said. 
Ms Ryan meanwhile said that last year the UK took in 149 Syrian migrants of the one million or so Syrians living in crammed quarters in Lebanon, describing it as a "drop in the ocean".
Former AFM commander Xuereb said: "Every day we are waking up to news of more deaths in the Mediterranean. Scaling down Europe's rescue operations has not discouraged these desperate migrants from risking their lives in these dangerous crossings. It has only led to more deaths.
"We must take politics out of search and rescue. We must put saving lives at the top of the agenda. Meanwhile, society must not be a bystander. We must lead by example and show support to the search and rescue efforts being undertaken. The people making these crossings are people like us, with hopes and aspirations. They do not deserve to be left at sea to die," he added.
Last year, MOAS operations cost in excess of €4 million.
The public may donate funds to this mission by visiting the official page http://www.moas.eu/10/Donate