Mariners looked on curiously as the police and armed forces yesterday showed off their speedboats while ships congregated some miles off Valletta to take part in an oil recovery response exercise.

The exercise, organised by the Malta Maritime Authority and European Maritime Safety Agency, simulated the detection of a heavy oil slick off Valletta, "reported" by a fishing boat to the authority's Vessel Traffic Services (VTS).

The first call was made to the Harbour Master at 5.30 a.m. and the response was initiated through VTS calls to everyone concerned. The authority's Control Centre was fully manned by 6 a.m.

Meanwhile, vessels arrived on the scene to deploy oil-retaining booms and skimming equipment to recover the slick.

Weather conditions were favourable as the MT Santa Maria swept and skimmed the oil off the surface, in coordination with vessels from the agency's pollution response network.

When an EU member calls for help, these vessels can be deployed to help in the clean-up and response operations.

Harbour Master Capt. Richard Gabriele explained that although the exercise is a simulated one, the conditions were very real.

"The response has to be timely and coordinated and everyone has to strictly abide by the instructions," he said.

Commenting on the outcome of the exercise, Capt. Gabriele said he was confident the situation would be tackled successfully in the event of a real spill.

These recovery exercises are held every year by the authority and relevant stakeholders to sharpen the island's capabilities to deal with various types of oil pollution.