A group of volunteers took part in a cleanup effort on the rocky beach of Exiles Bay in Sliema as part of International Coastal Cleanup Day.
The team of volunteers consisted of crew members on board the Carnival Vista cruise ship during her call at Valletta, and employees from Valletta Cruise Port plc with support from the Beach Cleansing Unit within the Cleansing Directorate.
The event was organized by Carnival Cruise Line to mark International Coastal Cleanup Day, the world’s largest single day cleanup event spearheaded by the Ocean Conservancy. Teams from many of the cruise line’s ships participated in similar cleanup activities in different parts of the world.
Every year thousands of tons of garbage winds up in the oceans, with 60% being composed of plastic material. Plastics especially last a very long time in the ocean, and are in such abundance that there are 46,000 individual pieces of plastic litter for every square mile of ocean. Plastics are very hazardous to marine life, killing more than a million birds and over 100,000 seals, turtles, and whales.
In a statement, Carnival Cruise Line said, “Our Carnival Vista team is delighted to be supporting this initiative by helping to clean the beach in Sliema in coordination with Valletta Cruise Port and the local Beach Cleansing Unit. We have enjoyed visiting Malta for the past months during our summer Mediterranean cruise program and it gives us great pleasure to give back to this beautiful destination.”
“We are proud to support this global environmental initiative, in cooperation with Carnival Cruise Line and the local Cleansing Directorate, whilst placing Malta on the international map of promoting a clean coastal environment. Coastal Cleanup Day should be every day. We all have a stake in clean oceans, and it is the responsibility of every individual to do their part to help keep the seas trash-free and maintain a sustainable marine life,” commented Stephen Xuereb, CEO of Valletta Cruise Port plc and COO of Global Ports Holding.
