MMA says anchored tankers pose no abnormal risk

The conglomeration of oil tankers anchored some 18 miles off Malta poses no greater pollution risk to the island than usual sea trade, it emerged yesterday.

Marine engineer Paul Cardona and the Malta Maritime Authority said anchored vessels did not pose a greater or lesser risk than normal daily traffic.

"The Mediterranean is one of the main thoroughfares of the tanker trade. Hundreds of thousands of ships cross every year," Mr Cardona said when contacted.

Some 20 tankers are anchored at Hurd's Bank, just outside Malta's territorial waters, raising concerns about the devastating effects a possible oil spill could have on marine life and the island's coast. The tankers are believed to be at sea until oil prices recover and the situation has been described as "critical" by a leading physicist.

Last month, Aldo Drago, head of the University of Malta's Physical Oceanography Unit, said that even if the tankers were not close, they could still pose a great threat to the islands.

But Mr Cardona believed the fact the tankers were anchored in the area did not increase risks.

"There is a greater chance of two tankers colliding if they are on the move rather than if they are anchored," he said, adding that, although numerous tankers passed in the vicinity of the island, there had never been an accident.

Similarly, a spokesman for the MMA said there was no increased risk: "All vessels, whether trading or at anchor, must be fully certified in accordance with international conventions, particularly those of the International Maritime Organisation".

Mr Cardona pointed out that the majority of tankers had a double hull, providing increased protection against oil spills even in the case of accidents. "Risks exist in everything. But if they are certified tankers and manned by professional crews, the risk is not more than if they were sailing through the area," he said.

He said engines on tankers were constantly on standby and, in the case of rough seas, they could leave within half an hour.

"They can recover their anchor and maintain their position using their engines," he said.

He explained that Hurd's Bank was the only place in the Central Mediterranean that was shallow enough for anchorage. "They are not drifting but securely anchored," he said.

However, he admitted that the risk of an oil spill would always remain because of Malta's geographical location: "What do we do in case of a major oil spill? We pray."

An oil spill could have devastating effects on fish farms in the area, even though the owners have contingency plans to counter any problems.

"There can be serious repercussions if oil gets on the fish's gills, clogging them, since this could asphyxiate the fish," marine biologist Carmel Agius, an expert in fish farming, said.

Prof. Agius, the technical adviser of the Federation of Maltese Aquaculture Producers, explained that the fish cages were made of circles of high density polyethylene, a form of plastic.

This could act as a boom and was used in busy shipping areas, like Singapore, Japan and the Caribbean, which were also fish farm hotspots.

However, he said, the structures offered little consolation in rough weather. Prof. Agius said the fish farm industry was aware of these risks and tried to minimise them through contingency measures.

"We have to be ready to attack a slick," he said, adding this might include unhooking cages, which were in the line of a moving oil spill, and towing them to safer waters.

On the other hand, the constant anchoring on Hurd's Bank could have an effect on the seabed, Fisheries Cooperative president Ray Bugeja said, adding that the tankers' presence was not having an impact on fishermen.