The decision to let off the record-breaking ‘shell of shells’ from a floating barge and not from land as originally intended could have caused Friday’s spectacular failure, the Times of Malta has learnt.

The 10-metre steel pipe that was mounted on a barge used to fire the ‘shell of shells’ on Friday. Photo: FacebooK

Measuring 1.3 metres in diameter, the 568 kilogram petard, with 500 shells inside it, was let off from a barge about three kilometres off Wied iż-Żurrieq.

Originally, the firework was planned to be let off from Fort Ricasoli in Kalkara during the Pageant of the Seas, held last June in the Grand Harbour. However, the authorities revoked the permit at the last minute amid safety concerns. Subsequently, it was decided that the petard would be fired from the sea.

Unfortunately for the organisers, the St Catherine’s Fireworks Factory of Żurrieq, the attempt to break their own record, set in 2016 with a 95 centimetre shell, failed miserably.

On Friday, the gigantic petard exploded soon after emerging from its 10 metre steel pipe, with the smaller shells inside going off at random, rather than forming a perfect sphere.

Hundreds of disappointed fireworks enthusiasts who occupied various vantage points on the shoreline to watch the unique event were left scratching their heads and wondering what could have gone wrong.

According to a number of pyrotechnics experts who spoke to the Times of Malta on the condition of anonymity, apart from the shell itself, there could have been external factors that contributed to the disappointment.

“One possibility is that this gigantic petard was fired from a barge and not from fixed ground. Consequently, the recoil generated at liftoff could have been so large that the energy intended to propel the shell vertically upwards was dissipated to the barge,” they said.

Finding a firing site for such a huge shell would be a challenge

This hypothesis was backed by the fact that smaller shells fired on the same night also seemed to have been subject to this effect, since they had gone off at relatively low altitudes.

“Recoil is also an issue when firing from land, because at times, the steel pipes have to be placed on solid rock, as otherwise they are embedded in the soil, with the petard not reaching its desired altitude,” the experts added.

If this had been the actual cause, it could complicate matters should the organisers decide to have another go, sources familiar with the manufacture of fireworks remarked.

“Finding a firing site for such a huge shell without putting at risk inhabited zones or areas of ecological importance would be a challenge,” they noted.

Even the location chosen for Friday’s attempt fuelled controversy, with BirdLife Malta criticising the decision on grounds it would be harmful to seabirds.

Manuel Gauci, the pyrotechnician behind Friday’s attempted record, has already hinted at his intention to try his luck again.

In a Facebook post, he thanked those who had expressed solidarity while urging those who had mocked him over the failed shell to join forces with him and attempt another go.