Issue link: https://maltatoday.uberflip.com/i/472423
maltatoday, WEDNESDAY, 4 MARCH 2015 8 News Ricasoli tank upgrade in doubt Company awarded 30-year concession by previous government may find its application to upgrade the existing tank cleaning facilities refused if MEPA board heeds the advice of the Planning Directorate JAMES DEBONO THE Malta Environment and Plan- ning Authority's board will be meeting tomorrow to decide on whether to approve an application to upgrade the existing Ricasoli Port Cleaning Facility, which is lo- cated in the ditch of the historical Ricasoli fort. A 30-year concession agreement was signed with Ricasoli Port Facil- ity Limited, which is owned by Fal- zon Waste Oils, in January 2013. In a case officer report, the Plan- ning Directorate – MEPA's techni- cal arm – is recommending the re- fusal of this application because the present local plan still seeks the long term relocation of the tank cleaning facility and discourages further in- vestment on the present site. The application is meant to im- prove safety and environmental standards, especially with regard to the discharge of waste water into the sea. The previous administration claimed that attempts to relocate the tank facilities had failed. MEPA's own Local Planning Unit noted that although the local plan envisages the relocation of the tank cleaning facility "there are consid- erable difficulties with the reloca- tion" and this long-term objective may not be achievable. The facility is located in Fort Rica- soli, a Grade 1 historical monument. The Superintendence for Cultural Heritage warned that the develop- ment may have "an adverse impact" on its heritage value and called for a proper assessment of photomon- tages of the proposed development. MEPA's internal heritage panel; the Cultural Heritage Advisory Committee has called for the resit- ing of the tank cleaning facilities to a less sensitive site but it also called on the authorities to establish whether the relocation of the facili- ties is feasible or not. The proposed development in- cludes the construction of a new boiler house instead of the existing one, the refurbishment of the tank, the relocation of a fresh water tank, the creation of spill containment areas and the upgrading of pipe works. jdebono@mediatoday.com.mt THE 30-year concession agree- ment was signed between the government and Ricasoli Port Facilit y Ltd two months before the general election. Waste Oils Company Limited, the parent company of Ricasoli Port Facilit y Limited, was the only company to submit a tender for the operation of the Ricasoli tank cleaning facilit y. Falzon Group Holdings Ltd owns Waste Oils Company Limited. The tender conditions speci- fied the company must be al- ready in possession of an en- vironmental permit to operate such an installation. The tender was issued in 2012 just a few days after the Malta Environment and Planning Au- thorit y issued a four-year In- tegrated Pollution Prevention Control permit to Falzon Waste Oils, for the operation of Waste Oils in Il-Menqa tal-Braken in Marsa. The tender also specified that the bidder must have managed a hazardous management instal- lation or a port reception facil- it y for ship-generated waste for a period of at least 10 years. Fal- zon Waste Oils is also one of the few Maltese companies, which has run a hazardous waste facil- it y for over 10 years. A report by MIMCOL on Grand Harbour regeneration issued be- fore the 2008 election described the tank cleaning facilit y as "an eyesore". According to the report, the proximit y of the tank clean- ing facilit y to Fort Ricasoli also poses a health risk to the visiting public, "not to mention the envi- ronmental hazard this brings to the surrounding area, especially if future development is to take place in the area". Area Policies GK19 and Gen- eral Policy GE07 of the Grand Harbour Plan both support measures to reduce the impact of the Ricasoli Tank Cleaning Installation and seek to pursue the long term removal of the installation altogether, should a suitable and feasible alternative site be found. But in 2012 a spokesperson for former Finance Minister Tonio Fenech insisted that the deci- sion to issue the tender to retain the site for tank cleaning activi- ties was taken after all attempts to relocate this activit y failed. In fact in December 2008, the Malta Maritime Authorit y had issued a Request for Proposals for the Provision of a Port Re- ception Facilit y for Ship Gen- erated Waste Oils where the selected operator was requested to take over the responsibilit y for the operation of the Ricasoli facilit y for a temporary period; to build a new reception facil- it y and transfer all operations from Ricasoli to a new site and to operate and manage the new facilit y. Only one compliant bidder submitted a bid and the bid- der was in a position to provide a new site, thus satisf ying the government's goal of relocating the tank cleaning facilit y from Ricasoli. "Unfortunately, however, the new site provided by the bidder failed to obtain MEPA approval for the operation of a tank clean- ing facilit y," a spokesperson for the Ministry of Finance ex- plained. The spokesperson claimed that the government had no choice but to retain the present site due to its obligations under the IMO MARPOL Convention for the Prevention of Pollution from Ships. The convention obliges sig- natories to ensure suitable fa- cilities for the reception of oily mixtures, dirt y ballast and tank washings from ships visiting Maltese ports. How government had issued a 30-year concession: