Captain Reuben Lanfranco was educated at St. Aloysius College, Malta, and took up a nautical career following secondary education. After sailing on Merchant Vessels, he joined the Armed Forces of Malta, Maritime Squadron in 1986, and underwent Naval Officer training at the German Naval Academy and other Naval, Coast Guard and Federal Police Institutions in Germany, Italy and the United States of America. Throughout his military career, Capt. Lanfranco was heavily involved in Search and Rescue and Maritime Law Enforcement operations and was the founder and the first officer-in-charge of the Maritime Rapid Deployment Team of the Armed Forces of Malta.
Capt. Lanfranco holds a Bachelors degree in Criminology, and Masters Degrees in International Law and International Maritime Law as well as Diplomas in Maritime Education and Training, Marine Surveying, Ship Command and International Affairs from various Institutions. He also holds qualifications as a Harbour Master, Marine Pilot, and a Marine Surveyor and qualified as a military parachutist and as a certified Search & Rescue Mission Coordinator.
Captain Lanfranco received training on incident management and command at the Katastrophenschutzschule des Bundes (Federal Civil Defence College) Germany, at the United States Coast Guard Academy and with the Merseyside Fire and Rescue Service. He received a Federal Emergency and Management Agency (FEMA) approved qualification in Urban Search & Rescue, Logistics Planning dealing with large scale emergencies.
Frequently engaged as a Court-appointed expert on Maritime Casualty and Incident Investigations, Capt. Lanfranco is a senior lecturer on Maritime Safety and Security, Terrorism, Incident and Risk Management, Quality Management and Search and Rescue, and has served as an International consultant on Maritime Security and Border Control.

Captain Lanfranco spent ten years as the Director of the MCAST, Maritime Institute, in Malta. He also served as a Malta Government-appointed board member on the Correctional Facilities Parole Board and as Commissioner of the St. John Rescue Corps in Malta and Chief Scout of the Scout Association of Malta. He is currently a board member on the Independent Police Complaints Board and the Director of Studies of the Academy For Disciplined Forces, in Malta.