On the 10th of February 2018, the oil tanker M/T Hephaestus was wrecked on the shore at il-Ponta tal-Qawra, off St. Paul’s Bay in Malta at 6:15am.
According to the accident report (attached), she had been dragging her anchor since 05:30. At 0600, windspeed was 35.5 knots with gusts up to 52.7 knots (Force 10), coming from N/NW. The crew failed to start the engine in time, and the storm eventually threw the Hephaestus on the shore.
On August 15, 2018, the ship was pulled off the shore and refloated:
Repairs turned out to be too costly and preparations were started to scuttle the wreck as a diving attraction and artificial reef.
On the early morning of August the 29th, the vessel was towed to her final resting position south of Gozo at Xatt l-Aħmar.
Below is the video of the scuttling and the first inspection dive.
GPS position is 36.0700364,14.2612405
Maximum depth is 44.5m at the stern, top deck is at 32m depth.
According to the accident report (attached), she had been dragging her anchor since 05:30. At 0600, windspeed was 35.5 knots with gusts up to 52.7 knots (Force 10), coming from N/NW. The crew failed to start the engine in time, and the storm eventually threw the Hephaestus on the shore.
On August 15, 2018, the ship was pulled off the shore and refloated:
Repairs turned out to be too costly and preparations were started to scuttle the wreck as a diving attraction and artificial reef.
On the early morning of August the 29th, the vessel was towed to her final resting position south of Gozo at Xatt l-Aħmar.
Below is the video of the scuttling and the first inspection dive.
GPS position is 36.0700364,14.2612405
Maximum depth is 44.5m at the stern, top deck is at 32m depth.