The Malta Maritime Authority (MMA) has undertaken a project called Oil Spill Response Capability for Protection of our Seas, costing e1 million. The European Economic Area (EEA) Financial Mechanism will finance 80 per cent of the costs, the remaining 20 per cent will be footed by the authority.

The information was released yesterday by Communications and Competitiveness Minister Censu Galea during a seminar called Oil Spill Control: Malta and Norway, shared challenges, exchange of expertise.

Minister Galea stressed the importance of countering oil spills as Malta lies in the middle of heavily-used shipping routes which cross the Mediterranean – some 6,500 ships visit Maltese ports every year while a further 3,000 ships are serviced in Maltese territorial waters. The maritime industry contributes 15 per cent of the islands’ gross domestic product.

Over the past years, said the minister, the MMA and the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) have invested heavily in training and equipment that will enable them to meet their challenges and responsibilities in patrolling local waters.

The minister said that in a few months’ time, Malta will start operating a Vessel Traffic Management Information System. Besides this, the MMA is coordinating a Maritime Safety Committee comprising the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, the AFM and the Civil Protection Department.

Mr Galea thanked Norway and other EEA countries, Liechtenstein and Iceland, for considering Malta’s proposal.

Norwegian Ambassador Einar Marensius Bull said no better element than the sea could bring together the two coastal islands which are located at the opposite ends of European waters. He said both countries lie within dense shipping routes, so preparedness to counter oil spills was a must for the two countries. Oil spills control, said Mr Bull, takes a long-term perspective.

The ambassador said oil spills control was crucial for modern coastal states, and given Norway’s experience in countering oil spills, it has developed a great deal of expertise in the area. This expertise, said Mr Bull, would strengthen the bilateral relations between the two countries.