Tanker being converted to fight oil pollution

The Mistra Bay, a 2000gt tanker, is being converted into a Mediterranean oil pollution prevention vessel for the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA).

The vessel is operated by the Maltese company Tankship Management which last November won the EMSA contract to have an on-call vessel in case of a pollution accident in the Mediterranean.

Censu Galea, the Minister for Competitiveness and Communications, yesterday visited the Cassar Ship Repair Yard in Marsa to witness the conversion work.

Mr Galea said that Mistra Bay is expected to enter into service in the coming weeks.

EMSA has also been awarded two similar contracts for the Baltic Sea and North Sea/North Atlantic regions.

The concept behind these contracts is to have vessels ready to assist and supplement pollution response efforts by member states in the event of an accident. The vessels continue their normal duties and are called to assist in case of emergencies.

Mr Galea said that once again, Malta and its professionals in the shipping industry were at the forefront of international maritime co-operation. The government, he said, pledged its full support to this latest activity. His ministry had set up a committee to deal with an oil spill should this happen in the vicinity of Malta.

He said there had been agreement on stepping up cooperation by representatives of the Malta Maritime Authority, Civil Protection Department, Oil Pollution Centre, Pollution Control Division of the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, Ministry for Resources and Infrastructure and the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea.

In case of an emergency, each organisation would have a specific role and the situation would be dealt with in a fast and efficient manner.

With about 80 per cent of Mediterranean marine traffic passing through the Malta-Sicily Channel and 25 per cent of the world's oil transiting the Mediterranean, Malta had to be fully prepared to minimise the effects of an oil spill, the minister said.

The vessel was also visited by around 80 EMSA delegates who are currently attending a maritime forum in Malta.