MaltaMedia.com

Transport Malta (TM), in conjunction with the European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) and several local stakeholders has successfully concluded an exercise simulating the response to an oil spill incident occurring off the coast of Delimara. The primary aim of such exercise, held annually, is to attest Malta’s preparedness to handle such incidents.

All operations were being directed from TM’s Emergency Control Centre in Marsa, with participation of the Armed Forces, the Police, MEPA and Civil Protection Department. Participants on scene included two EMSA chartered vessels Salina Bay, and Santa Maria operated respectively by Tankship Management Ltd. and Falzon Marine Group, Tug Malta, Cassar Ship Repair, Alpha Briggs, Armed Forces, and Malta Maritime Pilots through the deployment of their respective sea craft. Other entities directly involved in this exercise included the Health Department, the Physical Oceanography Unit of the University of Malta, the Meteorological Office at the Malta International Airport, REMPEC (Regional Marine Pollution Response Centre for the Mediterranean), the Oil Pollution Response Module and EMSA as observers.

The exercise, a realistic scenario of a real life oil spill incident, commenced yesterday afternoon with the receipt of a “report” of a collision between a tanker and a cargo vessel with the former requesting assistance. The simulated scenario included a spill of about 400 m³ of heavy oil as a direct result of the collision. Response vessels were mobilised after the accident and clean-up operations commenced early this morning.

The exercise included the mobilisation of vessels, offshore pollution response equipment and a desk top exercise. The equipment employed during the exercise was procured as part of a €1,000,000 project aimed at increasing Malta’s capability to respond to vessel sourced pollution. This project was supported by a grant from Iceland, Liechtenstein and Norway through the EEA Financial Mechanism.