Transport Malta has targeted 26 abandoned vessels for removal from Grand Harbour following an initiative to remove half-sunken and unseaworthy vessels from the area, particularly the Marsa creek.

Eleven vessels have already been removed from the harbour, with another five awaiting their imminent removal in the coming days, Transport Minister Ian Borg told a press conference on Wednesday.

He added that the two oil rigs which had towered over the Grand Harbour for years, marring the historic skyline, had arrived in Croatia after being removed.

Residents had complained about the unsightly structures idling in the Palumbo shipyards for years and last year NGO coalition Azzjoni Tuna Artna Lura filed a complaint with the ombudsman.

Subsequently, Ombudsman Alan Saliba said that Palumbo was only permitted to berth ships and not oil rigs, after which Transport Malta issued a formal notice to Palumbo to vacate the premises.

The minister added that after the removal process has been completed, Infrastructure Malta would be carrying out dredging works to improve the depth of the harbour and allow for larger vessels to berth.

Some of the removed vessels have been scuttled and sold off while others were in such a dilapidated state that they had to be taken to shore and scrapped accordingly.

Asked whether Transport Malta was pursuing action against the owners of the abandoned vessels, Borg said it was quite difficult to track down their owners, with many of them tied up in complicated litigation. He added that some had chosen to regularise their position through a monetary penalty.