The source of a mysterious patch of cloudy water flowing out of Malta earlier this month appears to have been a container ship which scraped the seabed as it entered the Malta Freeport, according to the Birzebbuga Environment Action Group.

The phenomenon was identified in satellite photos which were published by Italian meteorological website meteoweb.eu, which show that the source was in the Marsaxlokk Bay area.

Meteoweb.eu pointed out that nothing peculiar had been reported to take place in the area, and neither had there been any torrential rains which would have seen debris end up at sea.

But in a statement, the BEAG revealed that the bay had been contaminated when the 190-metre freighter Tyrusland scraped the seabed, clouding the waters with the material that was dredged up.

It said that the ship berthed at the Freeport’s incomplete West Quay terminal, insisting that the terminal was not yet ready to handle ships of its size and that the situation could be repeated.

The group had called on MEPA to fine the Freeport, only to be informed that no fines for such contamination existed. It argued that in the absence of such sanctions, nothing stopped the Freeport from reusing the terminal.

http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2013-06-03/news/mysterious-patch-flowing-from-malta-captured-by-satellite-1744240642/