Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/1528241
4 NEWS 4 JAMES DEBONO jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt KARL AZZOPARDI kazzopardi@mediatoday.com.mt maltatoday | WEDNESDAY • 23 OCTOBER 2024 THE Israel-bound vessel MV Kathrin has changed its flag to a German one and is moving away from Malta. "Transport Malta is informed that the MV Kathrin has changed its flag to the German flag while outside Maltese territorial wa- ters," a Transport Malta spokes- person said in reply to questions by this newspaper. Ship tracking website Marine Traffic shows the vessel sailing away from Malta headed in a North-East direction. Last July, the vessel started sailing from a Vietnamese port towards the Mediterranean Sea, going around Africa to avoid the Red Sea. Speaking to MaltaTo- day earlier this month, Harbour Master at the Ports and Yachting Directorate Captain Fritz Farru- gia said the crew wanted to avoid geo-political tensions and piracy in the Red Sea. On the 27 September, the ship had requested fuel while an- chored outside Maltese territo- rial waters, and as the vessel was not of interest, Malta had provid- ed the refuelling. But days later the ship's agent informed Malta it was running out of food, water, spare parts and consumables. Requests for change of crew and provisions supply had been turned down by Malta. Now, the Israel-bound vessel has changed its maritime flag and started to sail away from Malta. Asked if Malta was involved in the exercise, a Transport Malta spokesperson said the country was not. "Maltese authorities do not have jurisdiction over flag changes, as the vessel was originally flagged under Portugal (Madeira). Thus, no approval from Malta was sought as it was not needed," he said. He also said further requests made by the vessel were not met. "Malta denied a change of cap- tain or crew inspection aboard the vessel. For details on the flag change procedure, you may wish to contact the German flag ad- ministration," a spokesperson said. Earlier this month, a UN special rapporteur on Palestine urged Malta to prevent the vessel car- rying weapons destined for Israel from entering its waters. "I implore the Malta govern- ment, who has regularly taken a principled stand on Palestine, to act and stop the vessel from advancing," Francesca Albanese had said on X. Israel-bound arms vessel carries out change of flag and sails away from Malta The Israel-bound vessel Kathrin (Photo: Frits Olinga/Shipspotting.com) WHILE just over half of Euro- peans (53%) are aware of Eu- ropride, a pan-European event dedicated to LGBTQI+ pride, Malta stands out with 91% famil- iar with the event. Notably, only 32% of EU re- spondents understand what Europride entails, compared to 81% in Malta, who not only rec- ognise it but also grasp its signif- icance. This nine-point rise in Malta's awareness since 2021 is likely tied to the country hosting the event in 2023. Across the EU, more than one- third of respondents (32%) both know about Europride and un- derstand what it involves, while about 21% have heard of it but aren't sure what it means. In contrast, in Malta, 81% are ful- ly aware of Europride, and only 10% are unsure about its signif- icance. Country-specific results reveal notable differences. Respond- ents in Malta (91%) are the most aware of Europride, followed by Sweden and Slovenia (both 78%) and Latvia (77%). In com- parison, Germany (40%) ranks lowest in awareness, followed by France (44%) and Bulgaria (46%). Regarding a deeper under- standing of Europride, Malta again leads with 81% knowing both the event and its meaning, followed by Sweden (64%) and Latvia and Slovenia (55%). At the lower end, just 20% in Roma- nia, 21% in Poland, and 23% in Germany are fully aware of Eu- ropride. Across the EU, Europride awareness has risen by an aver- age of three percentage points since 2021, when it was the second most recognised aware- ness-raising event. Respondents were also asked about their awareness of other EU days dedicated to combating discrimination. These includ- ed the EU's Roma Week, which promotes Roma integration; the Access City Award, recognising cities that improve accessibility for people with disabilities and the elderly; and Equal Pay Day, a symbolic effort to highlight the ongoing gender pay gap in Eu- rope. Among Maltese respond- ents, 22% were aware of Roma Week, 55% knew about the Ac- cess City Award, and 33% were aware of Equal Pay Day. The questions were part of a wider survey which assessed perceptions in member states about justice, rights and values in the EU. Malta leads Europe in Europride awareness, survey shows Europride was held in Malta in 2023, and a Eurobarometer survey shows that awareness of the pan- European event has increased nine percentage points since 2021 Europride was held in Malta in 2023