New breakwater enhances safety

Requested for many years by Marsaxlokk fishers to protect the inner harbour from rough seas and minimize storm damage to anchored vessels and shoreline equipment, the new Qrejten Breakwater was constructed by Infrastructure Malta between July 2019 and December 2020.

Stretching 110 m in length, the breakwater is built from 306 precast concrete blocks and 4 952 tonnes of concrete and rebar and is surrounded by large boulders to attenuate waves. Its six-meter-wide platform is submerged 3.5 meters below sea level, topped by a 2.3-meter wave wall. The structure also features a lighthouse, modern safety equipment, and digital monitoring systems, improving working conditions and enhancing navigation and resilience for the local fishing and tourism sectors. A team of divers assisted with underwater construction and installation, Solidbase oversaw quality assurance and quality control, and Svašek Hydraulics conducted field investigations, wave modelling, and conceptual design for the project.