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Zonqor Point Project (Scuttling of two small Tugs)
Project Profile (PA PERMIT No: 4931/95 & amendment PA permit No: 1401/98)
The main objective behind this project was to enhance the area off Zonqor point for Scuba Divers. The goal was to scuttle a wreck at this location as a diving attraction. The wreck in question at the original stages of this project was MY Spalmatori.
This application for this project was submitted to Planning Authority for their approval in 1995 but took a long time for the approval to come through. However this project was the first of its kind to complete the full stages of application under the supervision of the Planning Authority. A previous project to scuttle MV Cittadella off the south coast of Gozo had failed its goal.
Since June 1995 this Action Committee has been trying to obtain a permit to scuttle a 44 meter long MY Spalmatori off Zonqor Point in the Mouth of Marsascala Bay. This wreck was subsequently sold for scrap iron to a Turkish Company before the permit was issued. This caused a temporally set back but a quick change in plan revived this project once again.
This project became once more a reality in November 1996 when Mr. Anthony Cassar Managing Director for Cassar Group donated Two Tug boats to the diving community and also offered to carry out the cleaning & scuttling operation of these boats free of charge.
Since then, Planning Authority has given permission to scuttle these two small tug boats. For the local divers this was good news and certainly a big achievement especially after many years witnessing many shore diving sites being taken away for other usage and no other access to shore dive sites were being created to replace the ones that were lost. For the local diving community, this project is not simply the scuttling of two small wrecks for diving, but also one big step towards the right direction.
These tug boats one a Tanac Type “St Michael” 20 meters in length built in 1944 by a Canadian Company & the other 16 meters long, Melita Type” number 10” saw many years of service towing numerous other ships around Grand Harbour , they were laid up at Jetties Wharf and subsequently sunk at their mooring. They have been partially submerged ever since for many years.
By scuttling these vessels the result was threefold.
· Clearing the harbour from unwanted vessels, thus providing more space for a better Economic use.
· Providing a shelter for fish to breed, a small artificial reef. Immediately creating an attraction for local & Tourist SCUBA divers
photos
E. Farrugia
The main objectives behind this project are:-
St. Michael ~ Upper Deck
· To Enhance Zonqor Point for Scuba diving, a site which at present has very little to offer.
· Shift the impact of divers from congregating mainly at Cirkewwa being Malta’s main diving site.
· The wrecks of these two tug boats were scuttled on a flat sandy bottom, free of posidonia meadows and at a depth of 21 meters. At this depth most divers from beginners to advance level are able to dive these wrecks.
· Marsascala Bay is also sheltered from the North West Wind, this feature is very important for Scuba diving in Malta since the main diving sites such as Cirkewwa are unsuitable for diving when confronted by a strong North-westerly sea swell.
The lifting of the boats from the foul water in Marsa, the cleaning of the boats & preparations to tow these tugs to Zonqor Point followed by the scuttling operation was directed by Mr. Charles Cassar (Director for Cassar Group). Divers on the other hand prepared the tugs to make them diver friendly by removing all visible hazards to divers, such as the removing of all glass, doors, hatches and by clearing and opening up passage ways so that divers can not get caught or get trapped should any diver decide to enter inside these small wrecks. All brass items of any value, were also removed, this was done so that divers who have a passion for removing these items from wrecks will not have any reason to overstay & extend their dive time in trying to remove these trophies underwater. These two wrecks lie on GPS co-ordinates N 35’ 51.96 / E 014’ 35.50
The Malta Marine Foundation will act as caretakers of these two small wrecks. The Foundation will now put together a monitoring program to manage these wrecks, their main concern is to try and reduce as much as possible fishing activities from these wrecks.
