[WATCH] €12 million shore-to-ship Freeport project underway

Works on the €12 million shore-to-ship project at the Malta Freeport in Birżebbuġa have commenced.

The project will connect ships at the Malta Freeport to the national grid, making it possible for them to turn off their engines, and eliminate 4,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide from the air.

Economy Minister Silvio Schembri visited the ongoing infrastructural works, which include digging ditches and the pipes through which the cables that will supply the power to the ships will be passed.

Schembri said that the project will help the commercial port function in the best possible way help protect the environment and reduce inconvenience to the people around it.

This project is financed by European funds and is expected to be completed by mid-2025.

Both terminals, Terminal 1's South Quay and Terminal 2's South Quay will be equipped for ships to turn off engines and connect to the electrical grid system. This means that while there will be more clean air, there will be less inconvenience for the surrounding residents.

"Emissions emanating from the ship's engines will be drastically decreasing because they are connecting directly to the electricity grid and therefore there will be much lower emissions to Birżebbuġa bay and its surroundings.  Furthermore, the sound of the engines is being eliminated because they are switched off while work is ongoing to download the operation in Freeport," Schembri said.

Freeport Corporation CEO David Magro said the OPS project here has also taken off and is progressing at a good pace.