A total of €10 million is to be invested in the Armed Forces of Malta’s Maritime Wing, Home Affairs Minister Carmelo Abela announced this morning.

Speaking during the inauguration of a new €1.7 million fuelling facility at the Haywharf maritime base, Mr Abela said the government is investing heavily in national security.

He said the investment, which was co-founded by the EU, forms part of a strategy to modernise the AFM and raise its standards.

The investment being inaugurated today will improve response times for vessels, he said.

Securing Malta’s territorial waters is important and requires constant monitoring and improvements by the AFM, he said.

Brigadier Jeffrey Curmi explained that AFM vessels used to be fuelled from storage tanks on land or from fuel by private bowsers.

The new system will allow the AFM to store fuel at the Haywharf base and making refuelling the vessels much easier, he said.