Survey ship to assess interconnector damage is on site carrying works

The Polar King vessel arrived on site at around 2:45am on Sunday, with Enemalta employees on-board assessing the damage to the link between Malta and Sicily

The Polar King vessel
The Polar King vessel

A survey ship to assess the damage recently caused to the interconnector between Malta and Sicily has arrived on site right on schedule, some 16 nautical miles off the coast of Sicily in international waters.

The announcement was made on Enemalta plc's Facebook page on Sunday morning. "The Polar King vessel, which was commissioned to conduct a survey to establish the extent of the damage caused, arrived at its destination at 2:45 am," Enemalta wrote.

The ship will conduct a survey expected to take around 36 hours to identify what caused the damage to the interconnector, whether it was caused by illegal anchorage or a natural phenomenon.

Via a remote operated vehicle and other technological equipment, the vessel will assess the seriousness of the damage suffered and the best way forward.

"At present Enemalta plc and Nexans engineers are on board this vessel to monitor the process being carried out during which they will be able to analyse the footage being taken and transmitted on board the ship," Enemalta wrote.

It added that this stage of this process is "critical" in that it would provide a clear picture of the damage to the interconnector. Enemalta said that it would continue to update the public with any new developments.

Currently, the energy company is depending on two aged gasoil plants at Delimara to maintain the electricity supply. Parts of these plants are over 25 year old, Enemalta had said in a press conference, and that power outages are expected to continue in January when electricity demand increases.

READ MORE: Expect power outages to continue as old diesel plants at Delimara are overworked