Photo: Deployment of boom from one of the vessels
The Department of Geosciences at the University of Malta played a pivotal role in the Barracuda 2024 exercise, held on the 7 and 8 May within the Maltese Territorial Waters. This bilateral exercise, aimed at bolstering maritime preparedness and response mechanisms between Malta and Italy, involved multiple government and private entities, including the Armed Forces of Malta, the Italian Coast Guard, and Transport Malta.
The University of Malta was responsible for a crucial component of the simulation and provided oil spill modeling for the exercise. This helped simulate potential oil spill trajectories, predicting where, when, and how much pollution would reach certain locations. Such predictive modeling is vital for crafting effective response strategies in real-world spill scenarios.
Additionally, the university team, made up of Adam Gauci, Audrey Zammit, David Ramirez, along with Prof. Alan Deidun and Prof. Sebastiano D'Amico, utilised the HF radar and meteorological station networks to provide real-time data on sea surface currents and weather conditions. The Department of Geosciences previously established such infrastructure through the CALYPSO projects, funded by the European Regional Development Fund under the Interreg Italia-Malta 2014-2020 program. Additionally, the Decision Support System (DSS), developed as part of the I-WaveNet project and funded by the same Interreg program, has been utilised. The DSS consolidates all data collected by the Department into a single portal, aiming to facilitate decision-making by stakeholders. The integration of satellite data from synthetic aperture radar further enriches this service, providing a comprehensive view of maritime scenarios and enhancing the effectiveness of the operations.
The successful integration of academic expertise in the Barracuda 2024 exercise not only demonstrates the capability of the University of Malta in marine space management and monitoring, but also underscores the importance of interdisciplinary collaboration in managing environmental challenges and emergency responses.
