Project record

Marsaxlokk fishing-port fairway dredging

Gold Dredger working from a large barge among fishing boats inside Marsaxlokk harbour during the 2026 dredging project

Government of Malta; exact Marsaxlokk fairway dredging project and Gold Dredger spread

Infrastructure Malta awarded Sammut Marine the dredging and disposal of inert seabed material from the entrance fairway at Marsaxlokk's fishing port. The tender defines an approximately 39,200-cubic-metre, 11,200-square-metre barge-dredging package; owner and navigation records then identify active work, a target depth of about 5 metres, the Gold Dredger spread and partial reuse of recovered material at Għar Aħmar.

Project signal

Construction in Malta

Current status Transport Malta described the Marsaxlokk works as ongoing on 26 June 2026; the original navigation notice ran to 31 July, but no public final hydrographic survey, accepted quantity, completion certificate or final account was located by 2 August Source confidence Confirmed

Location

Malta / Europe

Segment

Fishing-port fairway dredging and beneficial reuse

Status

Transport Malta described the Marsaxlokk works as ongoing on 26 June 2026; the original navigation notice ran to 31 July, but no public final hydrographic survey, accepted quantity, completion certificate or final account was located by 2 August / Confirmed

Last checked

2 August 2026

Coverage

Related sectors

Fishing-port fairway dredging and beneficial reuse is the primary work classification. Related sectors connect this record to adjacent marine delivery and market coverage.

Subject index

Related subjects

These subject pages bring together related projects, technical articles, reports, and evidence methods.

Project anatomy

Contract scope and delivery roles

Client / authority
Infrastructure Malta, with Transport Malta controlling navigation notices and the Malta Hydrographic Office controlling dredging completion authorisation
Delivery parties
Sammut Marine Limited - awarded dredging contractor under IMT009/2025, Gold Dredger - dredging plant named by Transport Malta; Sammut Marine's official site presents Gold Dredger within its marine fleet and capability, Moorsman and Goldfinder - assisting vessels named by Transport Malta and presented by Sammut Marine on its official site, Bezz II and Paulus - assisting vessels named by Transport Malta; public ownership, management and subcontract status remain unverified
Contract route
Infrastructure Malta used an open EU works procedure under IMT009/2025. TED competition notice 595480-2025 and award notice 823189-2025 identify Sammut Marine Limited as the winner. The award record shows one tender, a EUR 1,265,688 estimate, a EUR 1,384,856 result value, winner selection on 7 November 2025 and contract conclusion on 26 November 2025. The award states that subcontracting information was not known.
Execution window
The tender defines 150 calendar days from the Commencement Order. Transport Malta's navigation notice set a 5 January to 31 July 2026 operating window, while Infrastructure Malta publicly announced active work in February and an official project start on 2 March. A 26 June notice still called the dredging ongoing and expected a shifted pontoon to return by 31 August. Those dates describe procurement, navigation and public-progress layers, not a verified acceptance date.
Works package
Dredge approximately 39,200 cubic metres across an approximately 11,200-square-metre, 140-by-80-metre fairway footprint using an excavator mounted on a barge or an approved equivalent; conduct pre-, intermediate and final hydrographic surveys; maintain positioning and progress records; shift plant frequently to limit port disruption; support archaeological monitoring and dive inspection; obtain handling, transport and disposal permits; pretreat anthropogenic material if encountered; and complete the environmental and material-routing documentation required by the contract.
Marine interfaces
The work sits inside Malta's main traditional fishing harbour among dense moorings and live small-vessel traffic. Transport Malta named Gold Dredger with Moorsman, Goldfinder, Bezz II and Paulus, required a silt curtain and a 20-metre safety distance, and routed instructions through Marsaxlokk VTS. The tender also requires monitor access by boat, frequent barge shifts and survey control while maintaining port operations.
Commercial evidence boundary
The EUR 1.384856 million figure is the contract-award result, not a final paid amount. The 39,200 cubic metres is a tender quantity, not an accepted measurement, and the approximately 5-metre depth is an owner-stated target, not an as-built survey result. The single tender and award above estimate distinguish this procurement, but they do not establish a unit-rate benchmark without the priced bill, certified quantities, ERA charges, variations and final account.

Project timeline

Material developments

Dated events that changed scope, counterparties, delivery, commissioning or operating status.

Open this project in the Change Log

Transport Malta still described the dredging as ongoing

A pontoon inside the fairway footprint was temporarily shifted because of ongoing dredging and was expected to return by 31 August. This is the latest official progress signal located, not proof of completion or acceptance.

Source

Owner reported active dredging and a roughly 5-metre target

Infrastructure Malta said work had officially started, set an approximate fairway-depth target and said part of the recovered material would restore and enlarge Għar Aħmar beach. The release did not publish measured production or acceptance.

Source

Sammut Marine concluded the IMT009/2025 contract

The award record names Sammut Marine, one tender and a EUR 1.384856 million result value for the 39,200-cubic-metre fairway package. Subcontracting was recorded as unknown.

Source

Evidence gap

What remains unverified

Outstanding evidence

  • Final measured dredging quantity against the 39,200-cubic-metre tender quantity
  • Final hydrographic survey and accepted fairway depth
  • Infrastructure Malta completion certificate and Malta Hydrographic Office authorisation
  • Material split between Għar Aħmar beneficial reuse, offshore disposal and any pretreatment
  • Environmental and archaeological monitoring close-out
  • Certified contract value and final account
  • Named subcontractors, if any, and roles of Bezz II and Paulus
  • Return of the temporarily shifted pontoon

Related records 3

Reporting status

Construction, confirmed confidence

Last checked 2 August 2026 across 10 cited sources. The dated timeline above carries the project events.

Last checked 2 August 2026 Cited sources 10

Sources and related records

Read featured analysis Methodology Submit a correction Project tracker
Source collections

Project sources 10