Malta to boost capacity to fight large oil spills

Malta is to beef up its capabilities to deal with oil spills at sea that could be washed ashore with a devastating effect on the economy.

The €1 million for the project is being donated in large part by Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway.

The project involves in part the assessment of what equipment is available in case of a large release of oil or hazardous substance from one of the numerous vessels passing through the central Mediterranean.

The second major phase of the two-year project would entail obtaining the adequate equipment to upgrade the present marine pollution response capabilities, Communications Minister Censu Galea announced during a seminar at the Mediterranean Conference Centre in Valletta yesterday.

Besides the most obvious negative effect on the marine environment, Malta would suffer greatly in case of a big accident as desalination plants producing 55 per cent of potable water would have to shut within three days.

A spill could also affect the two power stations which use sea water in their cooling systems, not to mention the effect on tourism, fishing and the adverse effects of coastal population.

Despite the heavy traffic of vessels transporting oil and chemicals along shipping routes in the Sicilian Channel and between Malta and Africa, the country only has the equipment to address minor spills, technically classified as Tier One and Tier Two spills.

This project should see Malta's capability in pollution response rise to contain larger spills in open seas until foreign assistance is available.

Mr Galea said the National Maritime Pollution Contingency Plan and the law would be changed in view of Malta's vulnerability.

A working group involving the Malta Maritime Authority (MMA), the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces and other entities has been briefed to review present legislation and to determine a clear decision-making process in case of such emergencies.

The Mediterranean Sea is often quoted as one of the world seas with the highest risk of accidental pollution by oil and other hazardous and noxious substances due to very high maritime traffic density, transportation of large quantities of crude oil and refined products, narrow and congested straits through which ships pass, a large number of ports and islands, and traffic routes that pass through treacherous and narrow passages.

MMA deputy harbour master David Bugeja explained that approximately 30 per cent of the world's maritime traffic and 65 per cent of the oil and gas consumed in Western Europe pass through the Mediterranean.

Quoting the Regional Marine Pollution Emergency Response Centre for the Mediterranean Sea (Rempec), Captain Bugeja said the reported accidents that caused or were likely to cause pollution in the Mediterranean totalled 470 between 1977 and 2003.

It is also calculated that the amount of oil spills from rinsing of tankers and "natural" losses in the Mediterranean is estimated at 600,000 tonnes yearly, he said.

The seminar was also addressed by Norwegian Ambassador Einar Marensius Bull and Johan-Marius Ly from the Norwegian Coastal Administration who gave an overview on how preparedness is calculated using model tools in an environmental risk-based approach.