Upgraded quay will take cruise liners

Boiler Wharf in Senglea is scheduled for a total facelift and should be able to welcome the first cruise liner in July.

When completed, Boiler Wharf, together with Marsamxett and Barriera Wharf quays will be privatised, Communications Minister Austin Gatt said yesterday.

The revamp of Boiler Wharf forms part of the Grand Harbour Regeneration Project and the government's plans to incentivise tourism in the south.

The first phase of the project, which will cost about €400,000 and should be completed by July, involves cleaning and embellishment works.

Over 50 tons of scrap metal were removed from the wharf, which is being cleared of high tension cables, wires and pipes. The area will be repaved and an electronic surveillance system installed. The second phase, which involves dredging the seabed to increase the depth from eight to 10 metres, will take place in winter. The project should be ready in three years, Dr Gatt said during an onsite visit.

Boiler Wharf will be used as a spill-over quay for Viset when Valletta Waterfront was full, he explained. The 460-metre-long quay could easily berth 300 metre cruise liners, which were becoming even more popular.

The two quays would eventually be connected with the ferries and the water taxis, Dr Gatt said.

The rest of the wharf, which includes a boiler room full of machinery, is included in the project. It will be converted into an industrial museum with some of the machinery restored.

Two of the four cranes on the wharf will be dismantled and the remaining two will be restored.