Yesterday, members of the National Fishing Cooperative called a press conference in which it urged the government not to underestimate the power of nature, in terms of anchoring the LNG behemoth in the bay.

The fishermen said that in their opinion, mooring the massive ship in the port would not be safe. Let us not go into the merits of liquefied gas and atomic bombs. Let us focus simply on what the mariners said.

The Cooperative said that fishermen familiar with the weather conditions and considered the Floating Storage Unit to be a big mistake. “Forty years ago Marsaxlokk was hit by a massive storm with waves so powerful that big rocks were dislodged. We did not go to Oxford or Cambridge but we know what can happen here. If the ship is to be moored inside the bay a we need a breakwater,” the secretary said.

It has already been revealed that there will be no breakwater, but it seems like it might be needed. Yesterday was a bit of a demonstration of the power of the weather as large waves were whipped up and spilled onto shore. High winds also battered the bay today and seemed to prove the fishermen’s point. They also called for a maritime impact assessment, something which is clearly needed.

It is becoming increasingly clear that whether or not the tanker will be berthed in the bay is a moot point. Unless, of course, the government is playing a very clever game as it has seemingly done before – in terms of pressing ahead with whatever plans, then changing them at the last minute. When that is done, it turns round and says “look, this really is a government that listens”.

Of course, there are always ifs and buts, and while the fishermen have legitimate concerns, it seems that some of them are related to navigating in and out of port. They pointed out that it is not only the tanker that has to be contended with, but also the ships that will feed it.  And while the government says it is one that listens, the fishermen were not consulted at any point and were presented with a fait accomplis.

The government is offering an alternative solution to what is the status quo – but it really ought to afford more attention and studies to impact assessments and safety standards. While it has commissioned reports, these always seem to be ‘hidden’ and the findings are only made public once the media gets hold of them. 

As always, it seems to be that the people of the South of Malta are getting the short end of the stick. This is not a situation that can merely be brushed off. It is a situation where a gargantuan vessel is being parked in a bay, just a few hundred metres away from people’s homes and businesses. At the end of the day, the buck does stop somewhere. Building a breakwater would incur costs and it would impact on the time frames that have been set down. But more studies should be carried out and if it is found to be necessary, then it should be built. Nothing should come before safety and people’s wellbeing. As the fishermen pointed out, they might not have university degrees, but they do know the power of the weather and the problems it can cause in Marsaxlokk Bay.