Um El Faroud

Um El Faroud was a 10,000 ton Libyan-owned single screw motor tanker. Following a gas explosion during maintenance work in 1995, she was scuttled off the coast of Malta as an artificial reef and diving attraction.

Um El Faroud
Wreck of Um El Faroud
History
Libya
Owner: General National Maritime Transport Company
Builder: Smiths Dock Company
Launched: 1969
Identification: IMO number: 6918613
Fate: scuttled as an artificial reef
General characteristics
Type: Motor tanker
Tonnage: 10000 tons
Length: 115 m (377 ft)
Beam: 15.5 m (51 ft)

History
Plaque on the shipwreck commemorating the explosion

She was built in 1969 at Smith Dock Co. Ltd, Middlesbrough, England and was owned by the General National Maritime Transport Company, Tripoli (GNMTC). She had been operating between Italy and Libya carrying refined fuel up to 1 February 1995. On 3 February 1995 she was docked at No.3 Dock of Malta dry docks. During the night of 3 February an explosion occurred in No.3 centre tank, killing nine shipyard workers.[1] The vessel suffered structural deformation and, following inspection and survey, was considered a total write-off. She occupied the dock in the harbor of Valletta for three years until 1998, when it was decided that the best option to utilize her remaining value was to tow her to sea and scuttle her as an artificial reef.

Diving

The wreck sits upright on the sandy seabed southwest of Wied il-Qrendi. Um El Faroud weighs 10,000 tons and is 115 metres (377 ft) long.[2] The vessel has a beam of 15.5 metres (51 ft), and a height from keel to funnel top of approximately 22 metres (72 ft).[3] The depth to the top of the bridge is 18 metres (59 ft) and 25 metres (82 ft) to the main deck. The bottom rests at 36 metres. After a bad storm during the winter of 2005/6 the ship has now broken in two.

While the wreck is still relatively new, it has quickly become popular with fish, including pelagic species such as tuna, jacks, and barracuda. Scuba divers might come across some squid and barracudas at the stern. The wreck can be entered.

gollark: For logreading, it could probably put in a divider of some kind.
gollark: It could be semiautomated based on keywords (or, indeed, the criteria used to decide whether to have a conversation or not under your proposal), and disable it after, say, 15 minutes of no activity.
gollark: So, not working.
gollark: It didn't isolate all the NSFW stuff and it is dead now.
gollark: Except for not working, yes.

See also

References
  1. "Um El Faroud". Divesite Directory. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  2. "Um El Faroud". Visit Malta. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  3. "Um El -Faroud Project". Malta Marine Foundation. Retrieved 30 August 2009.

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