Notices to Mariners issued in Govt. Gazette 21,589 of 20th February 2026

The Ports and Yachting Directorate, Transport Malta, notifies mariners and owners of vessels that a diving survey along the breakwater in il-Bajja ta' Marsaxlokk will be carried out.

The survey which will be held on any day between Thursday, 19th February, 2026 and Saturday, 7th March, 2026, within the area shown in red on the chart found on the Transport Malta website (www.transport.gov.mt).

The survey will be carried out by scuba divers and will be accompanied by a support vessel which will be displaying the International Code of Signals Flag 'A'.

A safety zone of 20m round the survey area is to be kept during the survey. No vessel is allowed to enter the area unless permission is given Marsaxlokk VTS and in agreement with the support vessel.

Masters and operators of vessels are advised to keep a sharp lookout, proceed with caution and at slow speed when navigating in the vicinity of the above indicated area.

They are to comply with instructions given on VHF Channel 14 and/or 16 by Marsaxlokk VTS.

Chart affected: BA 36

The Ports and Yachting Directorate, Transport Malta, notifies mariners that a dredging and revetment project will be carried out outside l-Għar l-Aħmar within il-Bajja ta' Marsaxlokk.

The dredging and revetment project will start on Monday, 2nd March, 2026 and is expected to be completed by Sunday, 10th May, 2026, within the area formed by joining the points A, B, C, D, and the immediate coast, as shown on the chart found on the Transport Malta website (www.transport.gov.mt).

All vessels and moorings lying in this area are to be removed by Sunday, 1st March, 2026, and the area is to be kept clear until works are completed.

Any vessels and moorings left in the area after the stipulated date will be removed at the expense of their owners.  No liability whatsoever will be accepted by the Authority for any damage that may be caused while removing the said vessels and moorings.

The dredging and revetment project will take place within these coordinates.

Latitude (N) Longitude (E)

     A                 35° 49'.983                 014° 32'.733

     B                35° 50'.017     014° 32'.750

     C                35° 50'.000     014° 32'.783

     D                35° 49'.967     014° 32'.767

The dredging will be carried out from the Dredger Magnus, which will be assisted by the hopper barge San Paolo.

A safety distance of 20m from the dredger and the assisting vessels involved is to be kept at all times.

Masters and operators of vessels are advised to keep a sharp lookout, proceed with caution, and at slow speed (no wake) when navigating close to the above indicated area. They are to cooperate with the contractor on-site.

All mariners are to comply with any instructions given on VHF Channel 14 and/or 16, by Marsaxlokk VTS and by any enforcement personnel on site.

Chart affected: BA 36

The Ports and Yachting Directorate, Transport Malta, hereby notifies that further to Notice to Mariners No. 24 of 2021, the Armed Forces of Malta will carry out live firing practice from Tuesday, 10th March to Friday, 13th March, 2026, with extended hours between 4.30 p.m. and 6.00 p.m. (local time).

A Sécurité message will be issued on VHF Channels 12, and/or 16 by Valletta VTS, accordingly.

The exercise area (LM-D6) is delineated by sector ABC.

From Position A                                             

Latitude (N)Longitude (E)

A         35° 55'.540     014° 28'.320 (Centre point on land), a radius of 4 nautical miles to points

B         35° 59'.460    014° 27'.150 and

C         35° 58'.290     014° 32'.190

Limits are indicated on BA charts 194, 2537 and 2538.

During the live firing practice, red flags (approximate size 2.5m x 2m), will be flown from the shore limits.  After sunset, instead of the red flags, there will be red lights and there will be two safety vessels with blue lights on each side, to indicate the limits of the area. Mariners are warned to keep, as a minimum, 4 nautical miles off the coast when the flags or safety vessels are sighted.

Moreover, any instructions given on VHF Channels 12 and/or 16 by Valletta Port Control (Valletta VTS) and by the Armed Forces of Malta, are to be strictly observed.

Charts affected: BA 2538, 2537, 194

Positions referred to WGS 84 DATUM