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Damaged ship towed to Aliaga

The offshore tug ' Cala Azzurra' (IMO: 9249829) has taken in tow the damaged 'Conscience'. The convoy was enroute to Aliaga, where it finally dropped anchor on May 27.

Conscience to be towed away

The 'Conscience' is to be towed to another port in the Mediterranean for repairs, Foreign Affairs Minister Ian Borg said on May 18. The shipowner provided a tug which arrived alongside the 'Conscience' on May 16., with the purpose of towing it. This operation could commence on May 18, as weather conditions become favourable, On the morning, preparations were underway for the vessel to be towed from Hurd’s Bank The Government of Malta, through the Ministry for Foreign Affairs and Tourism, the Ministry for Home Affairs, Security and Employment, and the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works, in coordination with the Armed Forces of Malta, the Police, Transport Malta and the Harbour Master, has been working to seek solutions for the vessel, which has been anchored outside Malta’s territorial waters, while ensuring that national security is safeguarded. A surveyor dispatched by the Maltese government described the damage as minor, and the government offered to pay for repairs just as long as they were done at sea. The 12 individuals on board will be repatriated by first being granted entry into Malta, from where they will board outbound flights. Six other individuals had been onboard the vessel at the time of the incident: they were brought to Malta and flown out of the country on May 5. The 'Conscience' is operated by aid group Freedom Flotilla and it was planning to make a run into Palestine to deliver food aid to Gaza, breaking an Israeli blockade. It was to make a stop in Malta to pick up several activists, aming them the Swedish climate activist Greta Thunberg, before proceeding to Gaza.

Repairs to be carried out at sea

Maltese authorities will undertake the necessary repairs at sea to the 'Consicence' of the Freedom Flotilla ship, after an initial inspection found that minor repairs were sufficient to allow it to sail to its next destination in the Gaza Strip. In this regard, the main systems, including the engines and generators, have remained operational. The ship remained anchored in international waters for the time being.