The Birzebbuga Local Council this morning filed an appeal requesting Mepa to revoke the environmental permit issued earlier this month which allows the Freeport to carry repair works on ships including oil rigs.

Addressing a news conference outside the Mepa offices, Birzebbuga mayor Joseph Farrugia said that using the Freeport as a shipyard was unacceptable due to the negative impacts on the nearby community.

The appeal was filed by Carmel Cacopardo who said that he was acting in his personal capacity as architect and not as Alternattiva Demokratika deputy chairman.

He said that ship repair activity might also pose safety risks due to the possible use of open flames which will be some 500 metres away from the permanent floating gas storage facility of the new Delimara power station. He argued that this should be addressed with further studies to allay an fears for the Birzebbuga residents.

Mr Cacopardo pointed out that due to the fact that this was considered as an important economic activity for the country, the Mepa appeal board had to present the decision to the Cabinet which was vested with the authority to recall the permit.

Prime Minister Joseph Muscat had already announced that the government would appeal against this permit, saying that such industrial activities should be limited to the existing shipyards.