Burnt yacht wreckage recovered from seabed

The wreckage of the pleasure craft which was caught fire and eventually sank off Bighi last week has been recovered from the seabed, Transport Malta said on Thursday.

In a statement, the transport regulator said the wreckage has been towed ashore and placed on land for further investigations.

“Transport Malta monitored the situation closely since the accident and was in contact with the owner of the craft and the Police,” read the statement.  “As soon as the Police gave their authorisation, the Authority instructed the owner to remove the wreckage, as soon as possible, to minimise any associated risks or dangers.”

The pleasure craft caught fire while berthed at the Kalkara marina last week and was towed out of the port to avoid the further damage to nearby vessels.

The boat was towed out of the Kalkara Marina to avoid further damage to other boats in the marina(Photo: James Bianchi)

Transport Malta said that the owner had “cooperated fully and engaged the services of a firm to remove what was left of the boat from the seabed using divers and specialised equipment”.

It said that officers from the Vessel Traffic Services, Port Inspectors Unit and Maritime enforcement officers ensured that the operation was carried out safely.

Furthermore, Transport Malta said that on the day of the accident, it’s officials were on site to “monitor for any kind of spillage or potential contamination”.

Personnel from the Marina itself, the Civil Protection Department and other entities, collected debris from the fire that could have posed a risk to the other vessels’ navigation.

“The Authority kept monitoring the wreckage and cooperated with other entities to minimise any potential contamination.  It was aware of a thin sheen that formed off Kalkara following the accident, however, nothing could be done to recover it. The sheen has since evaporated and dispersed naturally,” it said.

“Transport Malta takes this opportunity to highly commend the brave actions of the Marina employees, whose quick thinking and effective action helped avoid a much more serious accident.”