Following Yana Mintoff Bland’s article (August 27), I find it necessary to reply to her blatant misinterpretation of the facts.

She refers to a decision taken by the Environment and Planning Appeals Tribunal (EPRT) and deliberately misconstrues the verdict, thus misleading readers. To substantiate her arguments, Mintoff Bland also chooses to refer to proceedings held in the Court of Messina against me, inferring that such proceedings are cause for concern when she should also know that I was acquitted and absolved of all charges against me by the Italian court in October 2021. 

But even more astonishing is Mintoff Bland’s impudence in suggesting that my company is dumping illegal waste, which is causing concern about the health and safety of the inhabitants of Cottonera. She is oblivious to the facts.

Mintoff Bland again chooses to ignore the facts that the area in subject was called ‘The Steel Yard – Steel-Plate Blasting Shed’, which was an area used for sand and grit blasting of rusted steel plates by the then Malta Drydocks for over 60 years. I found this area idle when I took over the shipyards in 2010. Hence, any residue dust was caused by operations undertaken by the previous tenants. 

Furthermore, this site was literally a landfill. The scrap/waste and other material left on site was unusable and obsolete. Immediately, I opted to upgrade the site by cleaning it and patching the existing concrete platform, rendering it level – to dedicate the area for a greener purpose. 

Instead of stating the correct facts that Palumbo Shipyards undertook to dismantle the material in question and started clearing the area, disposing of the material as scrap, Mintoff Bland claims that Palumbo Shipyards dumped illegal waste over an area of 5,000 sq.m (again, she is incorrect on the surface area in question).

Not only did my company not deposit any dust in the area and cover it with concrete but it collected all the dust left on site by the previous tenants in appropriate skips. These skips were subsequently deposited in another area before being exported under surveillance and with the necessary permits to do so. 

When Infrastructure Malta passed precisely through the middle of the same area with a substantial trench for the Ship to Shore project, none of the alleged material was found beneath the concrete.   

Mintoff Bland also misinterpreted the turbulence of seabed propulsion by vessels with pollution caused by our side. This was another well-explained point from our end during the EPRT hearings. 

Yana Mintoff Bland’s ongoing campaign constitutes an attempt to discredit and depict the Palumbo Shipyards in bad light

The EPRT ruling established that no dumping had taken place and ordered the Planning Authority (formerly MEPA) to withdraw the enforcement notice considered unjustified and irregular. However, the EPRT chose to suggest to the Planning Authority to allow my company to provide another modified application for such clearance works, together with another method statement.

My company is contesting this part of the EPRT ruling dated July 20, 2023. For this reason, my company has appealed this part of the EPRT ruling and is confident that the Court of Appeal will uphold our appeal.

Unfortunately, Mintoff Bland keeps harping on the point and alleging that, over the last 10 years, no regulations have been implemented and that no monitoring has taken place. Once again, Mintoff Bland has the wrong end of the stick and is far off the mark. In reality, the established health and safety standards and the company’s ISO certifications and procedures allow and guide the company to always be in line with national regulations. 

Moreover, the authorities have conducted over 250 visits and inspections so far and the shipyards have never been found to be causing any health and safety hazards within the yards as well as to the surrounding environment. Furthermore, to date, there are no pending cases issued by ERA or any other authority regarding my company. This proves that Palumbo Shipyards fully complies with all environmental and other applicable regulations.

This is because we believe and endorse the high standards in which the company has always opted to invest in, including the best available technology for our operations. Mintoff Bland ignored this and failed to mention that the company’s management had also passed on to her their contacts in case she has any doubts or queries so that the problems could be tackled and verified immediately.

Readers should also note that, from time to time, the shipyards have opened and still open their doors to journalists, NGOs and others interested in assessing the existing conditions therein. It is regretted that Mintoff Bland has always chosen to turn down such invitations, preferring to resort to mudslinging and making unsubstantiated accusations with the sole aim of discrediting Palumbo Shipyards Ltd. 

Therefore, Mintoff Bland’s ongoing campaign constitutes an attempt to discredit and depict the Palumbo Shipyards, as well as the undersigned, in a bad light when all decisions, including the latest decision issued by the EPRT, have clearly stated that the shipyards were not found in violation of any environmental regulations in any manner whatsoever.

In conclusion, as the valid holder of the dockyards lease from the Government of Malta, besides paying a hefty annual rent, I am also bound to develop and upgrade the dockyards. Among various obligations undertaken and forming part of the lease was the commitment to clear and upgrade various parts of the dockyards and report any developments to the Lands Authority in detail.

The company has even submitted photographic evidence and a detailed description that it had cleaned – in fact, removed – the existing grit, sand and other materials left abandoned in the yard by the previous tenants. 

This confirms that all obligations in the lease contract have always been followed diligently and to the letter by my company. 

Antonio Palumbo is the owner of Palumbo Shipyards.