A plan to scuttle a former armed forces patrol boat off the north coast of Gozo is to undergo further study to find the best location in view of the environmental sensitivity of the site.

An application to scuttle Patrol Boat P33 in an area west of Reqqa Point and north of Billinghurst’s Cave had been submitted to the planning authority by the Professional Diving Schools Association.

The authority’s Environment Planning Directorate had expressed concern over the “environmental sensitivities” of the area.

It said it was a pristine marine environment “generally lacking in human interference” and the wreck would result in “significant impacts” on the site’s underwater scenic nature.

While the area is not a protected Natura 2000 site, it is characterised by rock and coral outcrops.

The directorate requested what is known as a project description statement from the association. That statement has now been put up on the planning authority’s website for public consultation. It says: “Further investigation of the conditions in the area will be undertaken to identify the most appropriate location for the scuttling...”

The association points out that the vessel’s footprint is so small that the impact is not expected to be significant. It says the presence of nearby caves, tunnels and reefs are actually features scientifically proven to act as seeding areas for a new artificial reef. Artificial reef building guidelines recommend that a new reef is placed close to a natural reef. The association holds that the wreck would enhance the diving product in Gozo and would function in tandem with the tunnels, caves and reefs to help boost the popularity of the site.

The P33 is a Bremse-class vessel just over 23 metres long, with a beam of 4.7 metres and roughly seven metres high.

So far, 11 boats have been scuttled for diving off the coast of the Maltese islands.