PA set to refuse Palumbo plan to extend Dock 6

The Planning Authority’s board will meet on 19 September to reconsider an application by Palumbo Shipyards to extend Dock 6 to accommodate larger vessels for maintenance and repair.

If approved, the application will allow Dock 6 to be lengthened by approximately 40 metres, reaching a total length of 400m. The proposal also includes relocating an existing operations room and excavating up to 12m to facilitate the dock extension.

Palumbo argues that the extension is necessary to ensure that the shipyard remains competitive in the international market.

Dock 6 is the shipyard’s largest hard standing dock and one of the largest in the Mediterranean. It was built in 1975 by the Chinese government, earning it the nickname Red China Dock.

The application was initially recommended for approval by the PA’s development management directorate a year ago, as it was deemed to conform with the local plan’s zoning of the site for port-related uses.

However, a majority of PA board members present at that meeting expressed their intention to oppose the directorate’s recommendation, citing concerns from residents about the intensification of industrial use in the densely populated area, particularly in the absence of studies on the impact of larger vessels on their health. In response to these objections, board chairman Emanuel Camilleri instructed the case officer to prepare the reasons for refusal.

Additionally, the chairman expressed concern over an enforcement order issued in 2016 against the landfilling of grit at another site within the dockyard. This enforcement order, issued by the PA, was subsequently confirmed by the authority’s Appeals Tribunal. The chairman noted that these illegalities raised concerns about whether the applicant would breach other conditions if this application were approved. The board concluded that these illegalities should be addressed before the application can be considered.

This time, the case officer has provided three reasons for recommending that the application be refused.

The proposed development is deemed to be in breach of the Grand Harbour Local Plan, as the extension of the existing dock would result in further intensification of industrial use.

The proposal also contradicts the objectives of the SPED, which aims to protect and enhance the character and amenity of urban areas. Moreover, according to the case officer, the proposal cannot be considered further unless the illegality concerning the landfilling of grit blasting material on the site is either regularised, sanctioned, or removed.

Grit blasting saga

Last year, the Environment and Planning Tribunal confirmed the validity of the planning enforcement issued in 2016 against the dumping of grit-blasting waste under a concrete platform erected in 2012.

The enforcement was issued nearly two years after enforcement officers collected samples from a concrete platform near the Smithery block during a well-publicised inspection of the site. In its decision, the Tribunal stated that the evidence clearly showed that the material found under the platform consisted of used grit.

Palumbo claimed that when it took over the shipyards in 2010, it found a patch of dilapidated land that had been used for grit-blasting and painting activities for decades. They asserted that the works carried out were to level the rough terrain and that the area had been thoroughly cleaned before cementing, with any grit-blasting remnants deposited there before they assumed ownership of the shipyard.

The Tribunal’s decision was confirmed in July by the Court of Appeal, presided over by Chief Justice Mark Chetcuti, who dismissed Palumbo’s appeal against the PA’s Environment and Planning Review Tribunal.

To comply with the enforcement notice, Palumbo will have to present a method statement detailing how the now-buried grit will be recovered, treated, and transported from the site.

Malta Maritime Forum supports Palumbo’s bid

Palumbo’s bid to extend the dock has received support from the Malta Maritime Forum (MMF), a non-governmental organization that serves as a platform for Malta-based entities involved in the maritime, logistics, and transport industries.

According to the MMF, the proposed extension of Dock 6 is necessary because modern ships are becoming longer and wider, and Malta needs to be prepared to accommodate such vessels.

The MMF also expressed concern that the local ship-repairing industry is struggling to remain competitive in the international market.

They refuted arguments that the extension would increase pollution in the surrounding area, noting that modern vessels with advanced technologies are less polluting.