117 wartime unexploded items cleared from the path of the second interconnector

A total of 117 unexploded items have been cleared from a channel between Sicily and Malta which will host the second undersea power cable between the two islands, Interconnect Malta said on Wednesday.

"The Identification and Clearance campaign for the Second Malta–Sicily Interconnector (IC2) has been successfully completed, verifying and preparing the submarine corridor for cable laying later this year," the government agency said. 

Specialised remotely operated vehicles were used to identify, manage and clear the unexploded wartime items from the 99km cable installation corridor. Most of the items were unexploded World War II bombs.

"The completion of this high-risk preparatory phase marks an essential technical milestone toward doubling Malta's interconnection capacity and achieving national 2050 decarbonisation goals," the agency said. 

It explained that the Identification and Clearance campaign was initiated following the completion of a detailed marine route survey, during which 707 magnetic targets were initially detected along the submarine cable route.

Following desktop post-survey analysis, this figure was reduced to 393 targets requiring direct investigation through specialised offshore inspection and clearance activities.

During the offshore campaign, 84 of these targets were initially confirmed to be unexploded ordnance. Additional ordnance were identified buried directly beneath some of the previously detected objects, raising the final number of cleared unexploded items within the corridor to 117.

The uncovered munitions varied considerably in type, size, and physical condition, ranging from bombs, artillery shells and hand grenades to Hedgehog anti-submarine mortars.

The rover used to detect items on the seabed.

Due to the depths involved and the inherent safety risks associated with unexploded wartime ordnance, handling and clearance activities were carried out by specialised personnel utilising remotely operated vehicles and dedicated offshore equipment. These operations required detailed planning, continuous coordination with the Armed Forces of Malta, and strict adherence to established safety protocols.

The campaign was executed through Interconnect Malta's main contractor, Nexans, with the direct support of specialised subcontractors NextGeo and Sub Service S.r.l., who provided the necessary vessels, equipment, marine expertise, and explosive ordnance disposal specialists.  

The next phase of the project will be the marine cable laying later this year.

Energy Minister Miriam Dalli said the successful completion of the identification and clearance campaign represented a major technical milestone for the second interconnector. 

The new 122km long 245kV, 225MW, 50Hz electrical cable will link  Malta (Maghtab) and Sicily (Ragusa). It will be laid in parallel but at a safe distance to the existing undersea cable link, which was commissioned in 2015.   

The interconnector, being laid thanks to EU funding, will double Malta’s connectivity to the European energy grid. According to the project's cost-benefit analysis, 13.5 million tonnes of CO2 emissions will be reduced, enhancing its significance in Malta's long-term decarbonisation strategy.