5-year plan for Grand Harbour includes projects announced in previous legislature

The five-year infrastructural investment plan for the Grand Harbour that was “launched” this year includes projects that were announced years back under a previous legislature, some of which are ongoing.

Two weeks ago Transport and Infrastructure Minister Aaron Farrugia announced that Infrastructure Malta (IM) will be investing €180m in the Grand Harbour infrastructure over the next five years.

In response to a question made by The Malta Independent on Sunday asking why these projects were relaunched, the Ministry said: “We announced a five-year plan, giving an overview of ongoing works and those in the pipeline.”

The planned projects included:

The construction of a new 360-metre pier for the handling of goods in the area of Ras Ħanzir in Kordin;

The restoration of the industrial warehouse at Boiler Wharf in Senglea;

Through a €25m project, the Pinto piers 4 and 5 are being extended and the Lascaris pier is also being rebuilt. With this project, a new continuous pier will be formed in both areas with a length of 350 metres;

Investment in the environment around the Grand Harbour through the two shore-to-ship projects. With the implementation of a project at the northern piers and Boiler Wharf we will be reducing 90% of the pollution in the Harbour due to ship emissions; and

The last phases of the €5m project are to give new life to the quays in Sally Port, Vittoriosa, with a new promenade that will continue to extend the pedestrian walkways along the banks of Cottonera.

But some of these projects had already been announced in the previous legislature, by a different minister.

Shore-to-ship

The shore-to-ship project began at the end of 2020 and works are still ongoing.

In June 2022, Farrugia announced in Parliament that the shore-to-ship project will be moving to its second phase by extending the project to the Palumbo Shipyards and the Mediterranean Maritime Hub.

In February 2020, previous Infrastructure and Transport Minister Ian Borg had announced a €49.9m project to reduce air pollution in the Grand Harbour by 90%, which would include shore-to-ship connection panels that would allow vessels to be able to switch off their engines as soon as they berth.

Malta was legally obliged to begin the project to follow EU directives.

Previously, Borg had said that the first phase of the project included the installation of two frequency converter stations and the laying of a 22kilometre underground and subsea cable network to distribute electricity from Enemalta’s nearest primary substation (distribution centre) in Marsa, to Pinto Wharf (three quays) in Floriana, the Deep Water Quay in Marsa and Boiler Wharf (one quay) in Senglea.

He had also said that the first phase of the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project was also to cut 39.6% of the cruise liners’ carbon dioxide emissions, which contribute to climate change.

The second phase was to extend the electricity supply to ships berthed at Laboratory Wharf, Magazine Wharf, Ras Ħanżir (Fuel Wharf), Palumbo Shipyards and the Mediterranean Maritime Hub.

However, although Farrugia said in Parliament last year that the second phase has begun, two weeks ago IM announced that the shore-to-ship project will be implemented in the northern piers (Pinto Wharf, Deep Water quay) and Boiler Wharf, which were previously planned for the first phase.

When the Ministry was asked for an update on the shore-to-ship project it said: “The project will electrify Boiler Wharf and the North Harbour quays that is Pinto 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 and the Deep Water Quay. To date, the project is still ongoing so none of the quays are equipped with electricity yet. Civil works and electrical equipment installation are at a very advanced stage and testing will follow suit. Quays will start being electrified later on this year.”

There was no mention of any work being done on Palumbo Shipyards and the Mediterranean Maritime Hub, as Farrugia had mentioned last year.

New promenade at Sally Port

Regarding the €5m project to build a new promenade in Sally Port, Vittoriosa, that will extend along the banks of Cottonera, works are currently ongoing and began at the end of March 2021.

This was initially announced as a €9m project back in late 2020 and works began in late March 2021 after the PA issued development permits the month before. This was scheduled to be completed in 18 months, however, 22 months have already passed.

Project planning for this began in 2018 to determine the structural condition of the Sally Port quays. After years of being exposed to storms, the lack of maintenance caught up to the quays and they started to become inaccessible for road users, mariners and pedestrians.

Boiler Wharf industrial warehouse

The restoration of the industrial warehouse at Boiler Wharf was initially announced in February 2020, as part of the first phase of the Grand Harbour Clean Air Project.

It had been said that the “industrial shed” in Boiler Wharf will be restored and conserved as part of Malta’s industrial heritage. A PA application for the restoration of the industrial shed at Boiler Wharf was approved on 30 September 2020.

Pinto piers 4/5 and Lascaris Wharf extension

The planned project of the extension of Pinto quays 4 and 5 and rebuilding the Lascaris Wharf to have a continuous pier with a length of 350 metres, dates back to 2018.

There are two separate planning applications, one has to do with the extension of Pinto quays 4 and 5 and the other with the extension and rebuilding of Lascaris Wharf. Since both are being extended together this will create a continuous pier at a length of 350 metres at the northern part of the harbour.

Plans to widen Pinto quays 4 and 5 by 15 metres allowing bigger ships to berth were filed back in 2016 and these were approved in February 2018. Following almost five years of inaction, in November 2022, IM renewed this planning application.

In February 2022, an application to upgrade and extend the Lascaris Wharf to be in line with the extension of Pinto piers 4 and 5 was approved.

Ras Ħanzir pier

The construction of a new 360-metre pier for the handling of goods in the area of Ras Ħanzir in Kordin was initially announced by Borg in October 2020.

He had said that this project will make use of the previously abandoned area by turning it into a pier which will cost €65m; partially funded by the EU Cohesion Fund.

The new wharf will accommodate RoRo ships and it will have an area of about 28,000 square metres, equivalent to four football grounds. This will also serve for the increased mooring of vessels of up to 300 metres in length and nine metres wide.

Nevertheless, in 2020 it was announced that the construction of this new wharf will take place during the second phase of the project.