Marine engineer Paul Cardona and MMA said anchored vessels did not pose a greater or lesser risk than normal daily traffic. Cardona also opined that the Mediterranean is one of the main thoroughfares of the tanker trade. Hundreds of thousands of ships cross every year. It is said that some 20 tankers are anchored at Hurd’s Bank, just outside Malta’s territorial waters, raising concerns about the devastating effects a possible oil spill could have on marine life and the island’s coast.
Last month, Aldo Drago, head of the University of Malta’s Physical Oceanography Unit, said that even if the tankers were not close, they could still pose a great threat to the islands. But Cardona believed the fact the tankers were anchored in the area did not increase risks. It is told that there is a greater chance of two tankers colliding if they are on the move rather than if they are anchored.
A spokesman for the MMA commented that there was no increased risk at all because the vessels, whether trading or at anchor, must be fully certified in accordance with international conventions, particularly those of the International Maritime Organisation. Cardova explained that Hurd’s Bank was the only place in the Central Mediterranean that was shallow enough for anchorage.
