A day’s visit to Malta by around 800 passengers on board the Holland America Line cruise ship Prinsendam ended stylishly yesterday with the historic cannon of the old Saluting Battery, perched high on the Valletta ramparts, bidding them farewell – a full round of cannon salute was fired as in olden days.

The first of seven cannon rounds were fired precisely at 5pm and the remaining ones at 10-second intervals. The guns were operated by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna’s Victorian historic gun detachment, representing the Royal Malta Artillery from the late 19th century.

The Prinsendam is represented in Malta by O.F. Gollcher & Sons Ltd, as local representatives for the Holland America Line. Designed expressly to explore the rare corners of the world, the ms Prinsendam accommodates fewer than 800 guests, who get the intimate feel of a yacht with the spaciousness of a large cruise ship.

The Prinsendam boasts 22 spacious public rooms, features commanding ocean views in 93 per cent of her staterooms and private verandas in 67 per cent of her staterooms. Mid-ship guests will find a special signature sculpture suspended in a soaring three-storey atrium that features etched fish, turtles and dolphins climbing a stunning cylinder of Bolle glass, lit with state-of-the-art fibre optics.

The old Saluting Battery is a new cultural attraction by Fondazzjoni Wirt Artna, assisted by the Malta Tourism Authority. The site is open to the public all year round between 10am and 5pm. Guided tours in English are offered on the hour while a re-enactment of the firing of the Noon-day gun is in place daily at noon. Reaching the battery is best done through the Upper Barrakka Gardens, down the steps at the back of the main fountain.