The police have yet to identify the people responsible for firing a flare at Ramla Bay from a boat on Friday night, despite the vessel still being moored at the Gozitan bay.

Nature Trust Malta (NTM) reported the vessel to the police on Friday after a flare landed on sand dunes at the beach, a short distance from them and a turtle nest they are guarding.

Police told Times of Malta on Saturday morning they are still investigating the identity of the people responsible. 

However, volunteers at the bay said the boat and its occupants were still in Ramla Bay. 

Volunteers were able to identify the vessel they say the flare was fired from, as it was the only boat in the bay that evening. 

According to marine traffic tracking data, the 22-metre-long pleasure craft was still at Ramla l-Ħamra at 2.30 pm. 

Times of Malta is aware of the vessel's identity but is presently not naming it as the registered owner could not be reached for comment. 

Police later clarified that they are aware of the vessel from where the flare emerged and have spoken to the people on board, but are still investigating to determine which one of those people was responsible for shooting the flare. 

Angelique Lofaro, NTM's turtle nest volunteer coordinator, said the boat was already present when volunteers arrived to watch the nest at around 8.30 pm on Friday night.

At some stage, the vessel turned on its underwater lights. Lofaro said the lights were “massive” and flooded the surrounding area with bright white light.

Ramla Bay is currently under an environmental conservation order which prohibits bright lights and loud noises in the area, to protect vulnerable turtle hatchlings that rely on moonlight to successfully make their way out of the bay and into the open sea. 

The underwater lights of the vessel were turned on on Friday night, in violation of a conservation order

Volunteers contacted Environment and Resources Authority officials and asked them to contact the boat owners and instruct them to switch off the lights.

As they were doing so, people on the boat started playing with flares, Lofaro said.

Two landed in the water, but a third landed on the sandy bay’s dunes, a short distance away from the turtle nest and volunteers. 

"Had it been off by literally a few metres, it could have seriously injured one of the volunteers or worse," Lofaro said. 

"Luckily it had rained recently and the dunes only sustained minor fire damages, but had it not, all of the dunes could have gone up in flames." 

The occupants of the vessel were spotted playing with flares before one reached the shore

Lofaro said volunteers tried to contact the police, Armed Forces of Malta and Civil Protection Department. None of those entities had a boat available at the time.

When police officers eventually made it to Ramla on land, they asked volunteers to specify "what laws the boat was breaking exactly". 

Police were later seen approaching the vessel on Saturday in a dinghy. 

Flares can only be fired in case of emergencies and should be fired upwards, to help guide rescuers to the scene.