Heritage Malta Showcases Malta’s Underwater Heritage At Osce Maritime Security Conference

Newspost│30 September 2025

Heritage Malta’s Underwater Cultural Heritage Unit (UCHU) represented Malta at an Organisation for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) conference in Vienna on maritime security, where experts addressed threats ranging from illicit trafficking and cyber risks to the looting of maritime heritage.

In their interventions, marine biologist Ella Zahra, attending in person, and Professor Timmy Gambin, UCHU Head, presenting online, highlighted Malta’s innovative work in safeguarding shipwrecks, preventing looting, and promoting international Cooperation. They shared insights on the unit’s cutting-edge research and conservation strategies, demonstrating how technology and cross-border collaboration are key to protecting fragile underwater sites.

Delegates were also briefed on the unit’s virtual reality experiences, developed in Malta to increase public knowledge and foster appreciation of the rich heritage hidden beneath the nation’s waters. They then virtually explored for themselves three iconic wrecks in Maltese waters: the SS Polynésien, a French WWI troopship once looted for valuables; the ORP Kujawiak (L72), a Polish WWII destroyer that is a war grave and a Potentially Polluting Wreck (PPW); and the ancient Phoenician shipwreck off Xlendi Bay, Gozo, threatened by fishing activities in the area.

Further information on UCHU’s ongoing research, site documentation, and conservation projects – including detailed 3D scans of Maltese shipwrecks – is available at the unit’s online museum www.underwatermalta.org, which serves as a public platform for exploring and studying Malta’s underwater cultural heritage.