Protector-class coastal patrol boat
The Protector-class coastal patrol boats are a class of coastal patrol boats of the Maritime Squadron of the Armed Forces of Malta. They are patrol boats based on the Stan 2600 patrol vessel design from the Netherlands shipbuilding firm Damen Group. The Hong Kong Police were the first organization to order vessels based on this design. The United States Coast Guard (USCG) has 73 patrol boats from this class, where they are known as the . Malta ordered two vessels, and they were built by Bollinger Shipyards to the USCG specifications. They were given pennant  numbers "P51" and "P52". In 2013, both patrol boats were upgraded with new equipment including infrared cameras and a rigid hull inflatable boat. The new equipment cost €1.7 million and was co-funded by the European Union’s External Fund. P51. "P51" was commissioned on 18 November 2002, and it was the AFM's first vessel to be ordered brand new, as all previous ones were bought or donated after being retired from foreign naval service. "P51" took part in the search and rescue operations after the Simshar tragedy in July 2008, and it recovered the dead body of  Carmelo Bugeja and took the sole survivor Simon Bugeja from the fishing boat "Grecale" to Xatt it-Tiben in Floriana. Since its commissioning, the patrol boat has rescued the lives of over 2000 illegal immigrants and covered over 50000 nautical miles. Some examples include: On November 12, 2012, the tenth anniversary of her commissioning, the "Times of Malta" published an article to reflect on the "P51"s first ten years. The article stated that: P52. "P52" was commissioned two years later on 7 July 2004. It also took part in the search and rescue efforts after the 2008 Simshar tragedy and  recovered the decomposing body of the Somali fisherman who was on the sunken boat. Like "P51" it also rescued hundreds of illegal immigrants over the years, such as: