A new technology was used at Balluta Bay, dredging sand off the sea bottom and depositing it on the beach to refurbish the sandy bay. Mr. Sandro Gatt, who was the designated person responsible for the project on behalf of the Polidano Group, explained that last year the process had been carried out manually with sand being taken off the sea bottom and loaded on barges that then conveyed the sand to the beach. The current process is that of sand being directly pumped on the beach.
The dredger AVE CAESAR was used, performing the refurbishing process which took 3 days to complete allover.
Balluta Bay was on the list of the Malta Tourism Authority for a sand replenishment project. The government had already carried out a similar exercise in 2 other bays in the south area.
Last year, the government had also replenished Balluta Bay with sand derived from the seabed but the sandy beach was lost in a storm.
Photos by Capt. Lawrence Dalli. Do not use these images without my permission. © All rights reserved. Malta Ship Photos & Action Photos – www.maltashipphotos.com
