A bunkering vessel which ran aground in Qawra in February will finally be removed, pending the approval of the method statement by the authorities.

The 885-tonne Hephaestus will be removed by the contractor who won the tender to do so. Preparatory works have begun over the past few days, but work will not start before the Environment and Resources Authority gives its final go-ahead.

The Hephaestus ran aground in the Ta’ Fra Ben area on February 10, when Malta was hit by a sudden thunderstorm with northerly winds reaching force nine and 10.

As fate would have it, the ship ran aground not far from the site where St Paul and St Luke are believed to have been shipwrecked. It also happened to be the day that Malta celebrates the Feast of St Paul Shipwrecked.

The 60-metre, Togo-registered tanker kept hitting hard rocks, pounded by the mighty waves, which left it damaged.

Transport Malta and ERA personnel have been monitoring the vessel since it ran aground and intervened to contain a small diesel spill a few days after the incident.

Precautions are being taken not to damage the ship further or cause any further environmental damage. Sources said the beached vessel would have to be raised from the rocks from which it is currently wedged and then towed using special equipment. 

The cost of the removal has also not been determined yet. However, a source close to the Transport Ministry said it would cost approximately €1 million.

The Hephaestus crew, consisting of five Bangladeshis and two Russians, has been stranded on Malta and housed at the Seafarers’ Centre in Floriana.

They had been at sea for four months before the ship went aground.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.