Oil recovery exercise held off Valletta

The Malta Maritime Authority has conducted what it said was a successful oil recovery response exercise 3.5 nautical miles off Grand Harbour. The exercise was carried out in a joint effort with the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces of...

The Malta Maritime Authority has conducted what it said was a successful oil recovery response exercise 3.5 nautical miles off Grand Harbour.

The exercise was carried out in a joint effort with the Civil Protection Department, the Armed Forces of Malta, the police, the Oil Pollution Response Module, Tankship Management Ltd, Mepa, the Fisheries Department and Rempec.

Captain Richard Gabriele, the MMA's Harbour Master, was the chief coordinator.

Two tugboats towed a 500m long boom forming an open U with chain connections at the apex, funnelling into the sweeping arms of the oil recovery response vessel Mistra Bay.

The two tugs were operating under the direct control of the MV Mistra Bay.

A de-briefing meeting to discuss the outcome of the exercise is expected to be held in the coming days.

The exercise was made possible through the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) with Tankship Management, owners of the Mistra Bay that was contracted to EMSA.

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