Posted on September 28, 2022
A seven million euro dredging project has commenced in the port of Valletta in Malta, otherwise known as the Grand Harbour. While not the most important commercial port in the country, it is an area of immense historical and social significance with 47% of the population living within a 3 kilometre radius. The project will be carried out by government agencies using the offshore vessel GRANE R, a grab dredger owned by Denmark-based Rohde Nielsen.
According to Infrastructure Malta , the government agency assigned to lead the project, the dredging efforts are part of an effort to revitalise and modernise the port, representing “Malta’s largest maritime project in the Grand Harbour”. In the short term, dredging will “deepen waters around various quays and along the port’s fairway, to accommodate modern and larger vessels”. Additionally, the project involves the construction of a breakwater berm beneath the St. Elmo area that, according to Malta’s Environment and Resources Authority (ERA), will improve wave conditions and offer protection to the harbour during storms from the northwest.
Malta has been engaged in a concerted effort to expand the accessibility and viability of the Grand Harbour to larger modern vessels such as cruise ships. Last year Cavotec was assigned a contract to construct five cruise liner berths in Valletta. These new developments were designed to provide ships with electrical power while in port, eliminating the need for fossil-fuel based engines remaining on while the ship is stationary. The aim of the project is to expand the tourism industry in Malta by allowing greater numbers of cruise vessels into the harbour while reducing harmful emissions by up to 90%.
This latest expansion effort will also see the construction of extensive maritime infrastructure in the country, including a new cargo handling facility in nearby Ras Hanzir and expansions to various wharves and quays.
Much of this construction has been partly or majority funded by the European Union’s Cohesion Fund , an initiative that seeks to support member states with below European average Gross National Incomes. According to the EU, this fund seeks “to strengthen the economic, social and territorial cohesion of the EU”. Generally, infrastructure projects funded by this initiative are expected to have strong green credentials, with “37% of the overall financial allocation of the Cohesion Fund… expected to contribute to climate objectives” . Malta has been named among the 15 recipients of this fund within the period of 2021-2027 and will likely take advantage by starting additional infrastructure projects.
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