The Impact of Anchoring on Seafloor Integrity: An Integrated Assessment within a Major Bunkering Area of the Maltese Islands

Michelle Mizzi, Alan Deidun, Adam Gauci () and Ritienne Gauci ()
Additional contact information
Michelle Mizzi: Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
Alan Deidun: Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
Adam Gauci: Oceanography Malta Research Group, Department of Geosciences, Faculty of Science, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta
Ritienne Gauci: Department of Geography, Faculty of Arts, University of Malta, MSD 2080 Msida, Malta

Geographies, 2024, vol. 4, issue 4, 1-18

Abstract: International shipping is a fundamental component of the global economy. As the industry expands, the demand for high-capacity vessels increases, raising concerns about their impact on the marine environment. While awaiting access to port facilities, vessels often anchor to save fuel and prevent drifting, but this practice is a significant cause of mechanical disturbance to the seafloor and benthic habitats. Identifying and quantifying anchoring pressure is essential for better managing and mitigating the damage to the seafloor. The Automatic Identification System (AIS) can be utilized to assess anchoring pressure by transmitting vessel information (e.g., position, type and size) to other vessels and coastal stations. This research evaluates anchoring pressure in a strategically located bunkering area around the Maltese Islands using AIS data collected from an antenna at the University of Malta. An arbitrary index was developed to determine anchoring pressure, and the AIS data was used to create GIS maps showing the location and size of vessels within the bunkering area, as well as plots depicting anchoring pressure by vessel type, seasonality, and density. This study serves as a blueprint for future assessments of anchoring pressures from various maritime activities in other areas around the Maltese Islands and provides a decision support tool for national policy-making related to Descriptor 6 (Seafloor Integrity) of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), and the management plan for Sites of Community Interest (SCI) and Marine Protected Areas (MPAs).

Keywords: anchoring pressure; automatic identification system; seafloor integrity; bunkering area 1; Malta (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: Q1 Q15 Q5 Q53 Q54 Q56 Q57 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2024
References: View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations:

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7086/4/4/33/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/2673-7086/4/4/33/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jgeogr:v:4:y:2024:i:4:p:33-629:d:1489265

Access Statistics for this article

Geographies is currently edited by Ms. Fannie Xu

More articles in Geographies from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().