Malta is renowned worldwide as a diving paradise, in no small part thanks to the several shipwrecks scattered around the island. And now another broken ship could soon join the list – the Hephaestus that was until recently marooned off the coast of Qawra.

The Hephaestus was towed out from the shore last month to the Cassar Ship Repair yard in Marsa. However, the repair yard’s chairman Anthony Cassar has now told TVM that the ship’s owners have decided not to repair the 885-tonne ship after baulking at the price tag and that the ship will therefore either be sunk as a diving attraction or sold for scrap.

“It will take around two months to prepare the ship for sinking after the oil is cleaned off it and other small changes are carried out to render it safe for divers,” he said.

The Togo-registered Hephaestus was shipwrecked off Qawra on 10th February last year, coincidentally the Feast of St Paul’s Shipwreck, and became a tourist attraction in the coming months.

Should this ship become Malta’s newest shipwreck?

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Tim Diacono

Tim is interested in the rapid evolution of human society and is passionate about justice, human rights and cutting-edge political debates. You can follow him on Instagram or Twitter/X at @timdiacono or reach out to him at [email protected]