Port dredging in the European Union is bound to create problems in the years to come as major European ports such as Rotterdam, Southampton and, to an extent, Marsaxlokk become too shallow for the container ships of the future, according to the Harbour Master of the Malta Maritime Authority, Richard Gabriele.
With projected vessels reaching more than 350 metres in length, the minimum distance between the vessel's keel and the seabed, known as "under keel clearance", is also bound to decrease. This will require deeper ports that cater for the ships' draft.
"Port sea beds will have to be dug up and cleared to cater for larger vessels but dredging is bound to create ecological problems because sea habitats are disrupted, both when the seabed is cleared and even when dredged material is dumped elsewhere in the sea," Capt. Gabriele explained.
He said a classic example was the port of Southampton, where environmental authorities refused a multi-million pound project to dredge a whole area of the port. "The area earmarked for dredging itself had been originally reclaimed with dredged material some years ago. The area eventually became a habitat of a species of bird and that was reason enough for the project to be refused," he said, explaining that this was not just a European but also a worldwide problem.
Before getting a "shore" job at the MMA in December 1995, Capt. Gabriele spent 20 years as a seafarer and was captain during his last eight years of service. Coming from a family of seafarers (his brother is a captain, his father was also a captain and his grandfather was a master on merchant sailing ships), Capt. Gabriele knows all about the hazards of vessels in shallow waters.
"If the seabed is rock, it is a hazard to the vessel. If a ship runs aground on a rocky seabed, it will pierce the hull and it is likely to create an environmental disaster in a port. Don't forget that most container carriers would be carrying between 5,000 and 6,000 tonnes of bunker fuel.
"If the seabed is sand or silt, shallow waters could cause problems to the ship's cooling system, especially if silt is shifted by the movement of a propeller that is 10 to 15 metres in diameter. Imagine these problems happening in an important port of call," Capt. Gabriele explained.
While passenger cruise liners are the least problematic since they only have a maximum of nine metres below the water line, container carriers or tankers are likely to be more of a problem. Capt. Gabriele said that although there was no specific EU directive on dredging, other directives were related to it.
"One example is the habitats directive, which states that certain habitats are protected and cannot be disrupted. It is then the duty of local authorities to approve or refute a project. They don't only look into the area to be dredged but also provide for a site where that material can be dumped. It is the competence of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority in the case of Malta, but the maritime authority is asked to give its 'no objection' as well.
"The dumping area chosen depends on the kind of seabed, the depth and the currents in the area," Capt. Gabriele said. He explained that the Environment Protection Act provides for a specific area for dumping construction waste at sea situated around one-and-a-half miles north east of Valletta.
Asked if he knew of any industry that dumped hazardous waste into the sea, he said that the only legal dumping at sea had been inorganic construction waste related to projects such as the Malta Freeport, the development of Cirkewwa terminal, the Midi Tigné project and the marina of Portomaso. "Those are the only projects for which permission to dump construction waste at sea was granted and I do not know of any permit that was issued for any other activity," he said. "There is an official dumping area but when the Cirkewwa project began, an alternative dumping site was designated because it was not practical for the barge to have to sail all the way to Valletta. But there were cases, at the time when the Freeport was being built for instance, when the barge used to come all the way to Valletta. When such activities are necessary, we need to find a way in which to minimise damage or disruption to the sea environment," Capt. Gabriele said.
"The MMA has a duty to monitor those ships, loaded with hazardous cargo, which stop in local waters for one reason or another. If a ship calls in port to load or offload cargo, if it changes its crew or bunkers inside Maltese waters, it is obliged to make a detailed notification about the cargo it is carrying."
Explosives, radioactive material, chemicals, fuel, crude oil and paint are among the materials that are classified as "hazardous" under the International Maritime Dangerous Goods code. Each product has a United Nations number and maritime authorities are obliged to monitor the movement of each vessel.
"This information will enable us to have a database with all the ships entering EU territorial waters. So in the case of an accident, a fire or a spill, authorities of different countries would contact each other to facilitate the intervention of the emergency services," he said.
Regulations relating to hazardous cargoes have been in existence for decades but were updated in 1996. "We have been compiling this data for years but, like many other things, it is time based on paperwork. Within a couple of years, we will have an electronic system, with which many of our European counterparts are already equipped. In that case, the shipping agent would input the information electronically. We would then be able to transfer data to foreign authorities in a matter of seconds," Capt. Gabriele explained.
Another duty of the MMA is to see that all ship-generated waste is declared according to regulations. Capt. Gabriele said all ports have an obligation to provide waste reception facilities for ship-generated waste.
"Ship-generated waste is different from what is known as 'cargo residue'. In Malta we have what is known as a tank cleaning facility, where tankers are cleaned and residue is disposed of. But that is not the competency of the MMA and residue-disposal processes fall under the Malta Environment and Planning Authority.
"Luckily, we do not have as many problems as many think we have. Some accidents could happen of course but we've only dealt with minor spills. The authority has port state control inspectors who regularly carry out inspections on ships to look out for any illegal discharges. Accidents are often caused by negligence or technical faults and hardly does anyone ever dump hazardous waste into the sea deliberately," Capt. Gabriele said.
The MMA has also started monitoring vessels that operate locally, such as the pleasure cruise vessels. "These are certified as commercial vessels and they have to have a waste disposal plan, properly recorded in a log book. When our officers go on board to inspect, they usually ask for the log book to make sure that domestic waste has been disposed of properly. It can only be collected by a licensed collector."
Asked if the authority monitors small yachts and pleasure boats, Capt. Gabriele said there are plans to upgrade the provisions of waste reception facilities in yacht marinas.
"In Msida there are already tanks for the disposing of engine oil. However, there will be facilities to dispose of all other kinds of waste soon. In the marinas, including those which are privately managed, there should be waste reception facilities available as well," he said, adding that when it comes to small pleasure craft, the discretion of the individual's responsibility is vital when it comes to safety and environment protection at sea.
"Clean and safe seas can be enjoyed by everyone," Capt. Gabriele said, reminding all seafarers to take extra care in the summer months when the number of pleasure craft close to shore increases drastically.
Three weeks ago Capt. Gabriele gave a presentation during Green Week in Brussels - a conference organised by the EU Environment Directorate General - on how the MMA is planning to monitor hazardous cargo that is transported through Maltese territorial waters.