MT Hephaestus

36.017459°N 14.288641°E / 36.017459; 14.288641

Hephaestus laid up at Marsa in 2020
History
Togo
NameHephaestus
NamesakeHephaestus
OwnerOrbiter Navigation Corp.
OperatorVolont Maritime S.A.
Port of registryLomé, Togo
BuilderBroderna Jonssons Torrdocka (Kallansdso Varv AB), Linköping
Completed1965
Out of service10 February 2018
Identification
FateScuttled, 29 August 2022
General characteristics
TypeOil tanker
Tonnage595 GRT
Length61.33 m (201.2 ft)
Beam7.93 m (26.0 ft)
Depth4.02 m (13.2 ft)
Installed power410 kW (550 hp)
Propulsion1 x 6 cyl. diesel engine
Speed11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph)
Crew7

MT or MV[lower-alpha 1] Hephaestus was a bunkering oil tanker which ran aground off Qawra, Malta on 10 February 2018 and was subsequently scuttled as a dive site off Xatt l-Aħmar, Gozo on 29 August 2022.

Description

MV Hephaestus was a steel-built tanker with a tonnage of 595 GRT. It was 61.33 m (201.2 ft) long, with a beam of 7.93 m (26.0 ft). It had one 6 cylinder Ruston Stafford 6 CSRKM 4 Stroke diesel engine with a single shaft and one screw. The vessel's power was 410 kW (550 hp) and it had a speed of 11 kn (20 km/h; 13 mph).[3]

Career

The vessel was built in 1965 by Broderna Jonssons Torrdocka (Kallansdso Varv AB) in Linköping, Sweden. By 2018, it was owned by the Orbiter Navigation Corp. and managed by Volont Maritime S.A.[1] It was registered in Lomé, Togo.[3]

2018 grounding

At the time of the 2018 grounding, the Hephaestus was commanded by Bangladeshi captain Joynal Abedin.[4] The other crew members were from Bangladesh, Russia and Egypt.[1] The vessel had been at sea for about four months, and from January 2018 it had been anchored at Is-Sikka l-Bajda off Qawra, Malta while there was a dispute relating to payment of crew's wages.[4][5]

Qawra Point, near which the vessel was grounded in February 2018

On the morning of 10 February 2018, the vessel was caught in a severe storm with rough seas.[6] At about 05.30, Abedin attempted to sail the vessel into a sheltered area, but the crew lost control within minutes and the vessel was beached on a rocky coastline in an area known as Fra Ben, close to the Qawra Tower. After informing authorities of the accident, all seven crew members disembarked the vessel using a rope ladder, and Abedin was treated for a minor[1] shoulder injury at Mater Dei Hospital.[4]

The vessel was not carrying any cargo at the time of its grounding.[5] A minor diesel leak was reported on 17 February, but authorities reported that the wreck's risk of pollution was low.[7] The Marine Safety Investigation Unit of Transport Malta launched an investigation into the accident and published its findings in a report.[1] The ship's crew were accommodated at the Seafarers' Centre in Floriana before leaving Malta on 27 February.[8]

In the months after the grounding, the Hephaestus shipwreck became a popular photo backdrop for Maltese and foreign social media users.[9] Recovery operations were carried out by Cassar Ship Repair Ltd., which plugged in holes within the ship's hull before pulling it out to sea using tugboats and hydraulic jacks on 15 August 2018. It was successfully towed to Cassar's facility in Marsa,[10] but the vessel's owners deemed that repairing the damage would be too costly.[9]

2022 scuttling
Scuttling.

By 2019, the Professional Diving Schools Association of Malta, Gozo and Comino (PDSA) made plans to scuttle the Hephaestus off Qala, Gozo as a diving attraction.[9] Prior to scuttling, some of the vessel's equipment was removed and efforts were made to clean it of pollutants.[11]

The vessel was scuttled off Xatt l-Aħmar in Gozo on 29 August 2022,[12] with the operation being carried out by the Malta Tourism Authority, the PDSA and the Ministry for Gozo.[11]

Wreck
Xatt l-Aħmar

The wreck is located approximately 30 m (98 ft) off the Xatt l-Aħmar coast,[11] resting upright[13] on a sandy seabed at a depth of about 46 m (151 ft).[3] It is close to wrecks of the MV Karwela, MV Xlendi and MV Cominoland, which were previously also deliberately scuttled as diving attractions.[11]

Notes
  1. Official documents generally use the prefix "MT" or "M/T" (for Motor tanker) when referring to the Hephaestus,[1][2] but the prefix "MV" (for Motor vessel) is sometimes also used.[2][3]

References
  1. Marine Safety Investigation Unit (2018). "Safety investigation into the grounding of the Togo registered oil tanker HEPHAESTUS in position 35° 57.62' N 014° 25.51' E on 10 February 2018" (PDF). Transport Malta. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 August 2022.
  2. Adi Associates Environmental Consultants Ltd. (September 2021). "PA/04687/10 – Proposed scuttling of the M/T Hephaestus at a site off the south coast of Qala, Gozo to create a new diving attraction – Project Description Statement" (PDF). Environment and Resources Authority. San Ġwann. Archived from the original (PDF) on 31 August 2022.
  3. "MV Hephaestus (+2022)". wrecksite.eu. Retrieved 31 August 2022.
  4. Agius, Ritianne (10 February 2018). "Crew of beached ship at Qawra have not been paid for months". TVM. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.
  5. Carabott, Sarah (12 February 2018). "Captain of ship which ran aground describes ordeal". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 30 May 2022.
  6. Agius, Matthew (10 February 2018). "Severe weather batters Malta". Malta Today. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018.
  7. "Minor diesel leak from grounded vessel in Qawra". The Malta Independent. 17 February 2018. Archived from the original on 28 May 2018.
  8. Iversen, Rebecca (28 February 2018). "Qawra shipwreck crew on way back home". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 25 July 2022.
  9. Arena, Jessica (17 October 2019). "Tanker wrecked in Qawra could become Gozo diving attraction". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 15 January 2022.
  10. "Watch: Tanker that ran aground in Qawra pulled to sea". Times of Malta. 15 August 2018. Archived from the original on 14 June 2019.
  11. Magri, Giulia (29 August 2022). "Tanker that ran aground off Qawra starts new life as a diving attraction". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.
  12. "Ship which ran aground in 2018 sunk off Gozo to become new diving attraction". The Malta Independent. 29 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.
  13. "Hephaestus attracting divers on the Xatt l-Aħmar seabed". Times of Malta. 31 August 2022. Archived from the original on 31 August 2022.

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