Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/238322
5 News maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 8 JANUARY 2014 Delimara: residents should be compensated for eyesore Heavier industrial presence makes stronger case of rehabilitation of open spaces in Delimara – report JAMES DEBONO View from junction between Tas-Silg and Triq il-Power Station View from Delimara peninsula THE 'heavier industrial presence' resulting from the high visibility of the new floating gas terminal in Marsaxlokk harbour makes a 'stronger case' for the rehabilitation and restoration of open spaces in the Delimara. This emerges from a report on the visual impact of the new power plant authored Elisabeth Conrad which is part of the Environment Impact Assessment of the new gas plant. The new development will include a new power plant equipped with three 75-metre chimneys, and three 30-metre-high chimneys and a massive floating storage vessel permanently anchored to a jetty. According to the report, the "heavily congested" nature of the Marsaxlokk Bay creates a strong demand for well-maintained open spaces for community and recreational use. The report also notes that the plan for the Delimara peninsula to be managed as a national park and to set up a Marine Conservation Area, as proposed in the Marsaxlokk Bay local plan approved in 1995, has to date not materialised. Neither have plans for the rehabilitation and appropriate reuse of historical structures been implemented. "The lack of implementation of these measures has negative implications in terms of landscape condition and integrity." The report presents a damning picture of the state of the environment in Delimara. The fields on the eastern side of the Delimara peninsula are mainly used for hunting and trapping and are littered with birdcage supports. Most of the field-walls in this area are in a general state of disrepair and the bird hides are shabbily constructed. The Fort also lies in a dilapidated state, as its use is totally incompatible with its status as an important The most dramatic change in landscape will be the view from the Delimara peninsula. From this viewpoint, the floating storage unit (FSU), will result in "a strong degree of visual intrusion because of its scale". From this viewpoint the FSU will also partially block the view of Marsaxokk Bay. But the report also claims that the number of people exposed to this view is limited mostly to farmers, casual passers-by and some residents. The report notes that the colour contrast between the FSU and surrounding environment is an important issue. The FSU will be visible from the junction between Tas-Silg and Triq Il-Power Station is mitigated by distance. The FSU is also visible from the Marsaxlokk seafront, along Xatt is-Sajjieda creating a "medium-magnitude change" for the more numerous receptors in this area. The degree to which the FSU is visible in part or in its entirety will depend on the location of the viewer on the Marsaxlokk promenade, as well as on the movement of vessels along the line of sight. According to the report, this viewpoint is of particular significance, not only because of the various receptors affected, but also because 'the landscape and visual context is integral to the distinctive sense of place which the Marsaxlokk area presently enjoys'. In this case the view from Xatt isSajjieda is considered to be a strong contributor to local identity. The skyline from San Lucjan peninsula will also change with 'the floating structures obscuring the topographical undulation at the far end of the peninsula'. The FSU will also impact on the view from B'bugia seafront. Although the distance of the viewpoint from the development site serves to minimise visual impact, the 'degree of change' will be strongly evident mainly because of the 'scale of the floating unit'. Receptors from this viewpoint include residents, commercial operators, recreational users, tourists and local patrons, as well as passers-by. According to the report, the impact the greatest visual impact will be experienced by residents living close to the area of the power sta- THE owners of MT Baku, a Malta-flagged oil tanker involved in a stand-off with the Libyan authorities on Sunday, has denied it tried to load and smuggle crude oil to EsSider, an eastern port. A Libyan National Oil Corp (NOC) official, who refused to be named, told Reuters that the Libyan navy had "dealt with" the oil tanker and prevented it "from reaching EsSider". It was also claimed that the vessel was "in cooperation with an illegal group to load and smuggle crude oil". But according to the tanker's owner, the NOC claims were "entirely unfounded". "The illegal actions in international waters were taken by Libyan naval forces with regard to our vessel," the owner said in a statement. MT Baku, they said, was fixed on a voyage charter to load 80,000 of crude oil at a safe port in Libya and to carry the same to a safe Eastern Mediterranean European port. On 3 January the charterer nominated the port of Es-Sider as the loading port. On the 4 January, the owners received a message originally sent by a NOC officer – named as Abdulbaset O. Zarti – declaring three Libyan ports, including EsSider, to be "force majeure ports". "This message was later circulated to the market," the owners said. It is understood that the warning was issued as these ports were not under government's control and could therefore be dangerous. "Upon receipt of such message we immediately ordered our vessel not to proceed to Es-Sider and to remain in international waters. We contacted the charterers to inform them of this development and asked them to nominate an alternative loading port. We also informed the NOC that our vessel had been instructed not to proceed to Es-Sider and that she would wait in international waters for a fresh nomination from the charterers." The tanker owners said that in the afternoon of 5 January, MT Baku was approached by a Libyan naval vessel and ordered to proceed to Misurata under threat of fire. "We immediately contacted the NOC to confirm once more that our vessel had no intention to proceed to Es-Sider. There followed a tense four-hour stand-off during which time we were in constant contact with Mr Abdulbaset and Mr Benkoura (both from the NOC) while our vessel remained under the threatening scrutiny of the Libyan naval vessel which also prevented our vessel from heading towards Maltese waters." The owners said the Libyan authorities requested a further written confirmation that the vessel would not proceed to Es-Sider: "We provided this confirmation in writing representative of British colonial period military architecture. A number of "tasteless coastal structures" are found near the foreshore along the peninsula. The report also includes an assessment of the visual impact of the new power plant from five different locations. Visual impact floating terminal View from Xatt is-Sajjieda in M'Xlokk View from Triq it-Trunciera San Lucjan peninsula tion on the Delimara peninsula. The impact will be 'moderate' for residents living along the Marsaxlokk and B'Bugia sea fronts. The new developments will also have a moderate impact on tour- ists, patrons of the M'Xlokk and B'Bugia establishments and bathers, as the industrial nature of the view will 'jar with recreational activities in an area with a traditional aspect'. Maltese-registered tanker owners deny crude oil smuggling allegations Malta-flagged MT Baku and were assured by NOC officers that our vessel would be promptly permitted to sail to Malta." But the promise "was not maintained and the Libyan naval vessel continued to circle our vessel threateningly and even fired two shots in an attempt to push our vessel in the direction of Misurata". At this point the vessel's master decided to sail towards Malta at full speed "to avoid further illegal intimidation by the Libyan naval forces and a possible escalation". The tanker's owners insisted that the "unfortunate incidents occurred in international waters with manifest and total disrespect by the Libyan authorities for the rule of international order".