The Minister for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, Chris Bonett, announced that work has officially begun on the dredging project in Marsaxlokk, during a visit he made to the site where he closely followed the ongoing work.
This project is an important one for the fishing community who, together with other operators, use this port to earn their living. Through the dredging work and the removal of material that has accumulated over the years, the depth of the fairway will be increased to a depth of approximately 5 meters. The need for this work has been felt as over the years, an amount of material has accumulated at the bottom of the port which was leading to damage to marine vessels.
Minister Bonett said that this investment demonstrates the Government’s commitment to continue strengthening maritime infrastructure, with full respect for the environment and the needs of the local community. “A few days ago we promised to start this dredging work, precisely to help fishermen and all operators using this port to get in and out better because they were having a lot of problems with the seabed,” said Minister Bonett. He explained that this work had not been done for a number of years and through Infrastructure Malta, this Government embarked on this work to improve maritime operations while the material being collected will be used to enlarge Għar Aħmar bay in Marsaxlokk.
Infrastructure Malta’s Chief Executive Officer, Steve Ellul said that this work is expected to be completed in a few months while all necessary arrangements have been made so that there is no impact on the operation of the port of Marsaxlokk. The material that will be removed through this dredging process will not only contribute to safer navigation, but part of it will also be used for the restoration of Għar Aħmar bay. This will help to regenerate this natural area and strengthen coastal protection. This project also aligns with the Malta Vision 2050 with sustainable maritime work that will improve both access to Marsaxlokk port and help in the regeneration of Għar Aħmar bay using the material being collected.
Photos: MTIP
