One of the areas the newly appointed Minister for the National Heritage, the Arts and Local government, Jose Herrera, wants to focus on is marine archaeology, he told The Malta Independent during an interview published Monday.

This particular sector in Malta has not been given much importance in the past, and given Malta’s important role in the Mediterranean’s history, and the island being used as a strategic harbour over a number of centuries, the seabed around Malta is littered with archaeological findings.

Minister Herrera explained that with underwater artefacts dating back to the Punic and Roman times, Malta has one of the best maritime archaeological areas in the world and it can end up having a strong effect on tourism. One of his visions is for there to be small submarine tours, which could take people closer to such archaeological artefacts.

This would, indeed, open up Malta’s shipwrecks to a wider audience, and not just that, but perhaps this could also be extended to tours focusing on Malta’s underwater natural beauty as well. This could be a good project, but first certain issues need to be studied to ensure that no damage – be it to the artefacts themselves or the environment – would result from such activity, and restrictions might need to be imposed

Let’s start with the positives of such an idea. Indeed, aside from the benefit this can have on tourism, it will also be quite a cultural experience for the locals as well.

But there are other positive effects of such a move. Firstly, by increasing the importance of Malta’s underwater area from a tourism aspect, more attention will be placed on the importance of safeguarding the seabed and coastal area from pollution. Thus perhaps more environmental awareness would be raised as a result of this.

A closer eye would then be kept on people who would otherwise pollute Malta’s sea, and the damage caused by coastal construction could indeed be brought to the fore more easily.

One thing that would need to be studied through this proposal however, is the effect of the use of such submarines in terms of the pollution they themselves emit, and set standards as to what vehicles should be allowed to be used by the private sector for such operations must be set up and enforced.

The effects on marine life from potential frequent submarine visits would also need to be studied, and perhaps limits on the amount of tours would need to be imposed if marine wildlife is affected negatively.

While it is a very interesting proposal, aside from what is detailed above, further examination needs to be considered before rushing in to such a move, especially in terms of environmental impact such submarines can have on Malta’s marine environment. While the minister has said that the ministry has already been in contact with a small submarine driver who is being given the go ahead to apply for a license and start providing such tours, perhaps the government should slow down a bit and conduct all the necessary studies if they have not already done so.

If the project does not cause any harm then it is to be praised, if it does cause harm then perhaps holding back could be the better option.

Obviously precautions would need to be taken if the idea is to go through, and strict boundaries would need to be set in order for operators not to get too close to these priceless artefacts.