Blog

• The fast ferry project is projected to reduce private vehicle trips by 19,875 per year. • This equates to approximately 54 trips per day, or roughly 27 cars travelling to and from Valletta daily. • Given these figures, how significant will the project’s actual impact be on reducing traffic congestion on Malta’s roads? • Do the projected transport benefits truly justify the environmental, soci...

• If the dredged area is likely to refill over time with material transported from surrounding areas, does this mean that repeated dredging will be required in the future? • If so, what are the long-term environmental implications of ongoing maintenance dredging for Marsaskala Bay? • How often is such intervention expected, and has the cumulative ecological impact of repeated dredging been prope...

• Sediment trapped within silt curtains may re-suspend and escape once these barriers are removed. • Currents, rough weather conditions, and vessel propellers can disturb settled silt, potentially releasing concentrated sediment plumes into the wider bay. • How will this affect water quality in Marsaskala Bay after the silt curtain is removed? • Increased turbidity, contaminant dispersal,...

• The proposed dredging works will completely destroy 1,496 square metres of sparse Posidonia oceanica beds. Posidonia oceanica is a protected marine habitat of high ecological importance. It supports biodiversity, stabilises the seabed, improves water quality, and plays a crucial role in carbon storage. • The destruction of Posidonia beds means the irreversible loss of a legally protected ecos...

Dredging works will expose a contaminated layer, which will become the new seabed surface in area SS6. • What exactly is this layer contaminated with? • What impact could the release and leaching of these contaminants have on marine life in the bay, as well as on residents and swimmers who use these waters?