Palumbo to submit environmental permit application

The agreement was made during a meeting between the shipyard operator and MEPA, following media a 15-day stop order that stemmed from complaints made by residents and yacht owners when Palumbo began grit-blasting operations.

The application will be submitted shortly and will be followed up by further technical discussions, MEPA said. The granting of the permit itself would however be subject to a public consultation process.

The meeting between MEPA and Palumbo was prompted by complaints lodged by residents and yacht owners who complained about girt-blasting disrupting daily lives and potential damage to yachts in the nearby marina.

Following the meeting, MEPA also said that Palumbo had committed itself to identifying measures that would result in immediate improvements, which would however need the prior approval from MEPA before implementation.

The decision was taken after a meeting between Palumbo and Mepa officials where MEPA reiterated its stand against pollution that resulted from recently-widely reported grit blasting at the shipyard.

Reacting to the complaints and a MEPA stop order, issued on 30 December, Palumbo maintained that grit blasting was safe and in line with accepted practices across Europe. This, the company claimed, “would be shown to all competent authorities at the appropriate time.”

"Palumbo is aware of and will seek to abide by its neighbourly obligations but at the same time has a paramount duty to ensure that the interests of its stakeholders, including the employees who earn a living within the shipyards, are not prejudiced by issues that have never been raised before and that have no basis in law or in fact," the company had maintained.