Um El FaroudTanker
Some dive sites fit neatly into a single logbook entry. The Um El Faroud does not.
At almost 110 metres long, the wreck is too large to explore properly in one recreational dive. A descent might stay around the stern and superstructure, focus on the bow and central split, or drop towards the propeller near the seabed.
Its scale changes the way it is dived: each section is substantial enough to become an objective in its own right.
Site profile
- Site
- Wied iż-Żurrieq
- Coordinates
- 35.8188° N, 14.4492° E
- Dive type
- Wreck · Artificial reef
- Experience
- Advanced & Deep
- Access
- Shore
- Distance from shore
- ~150 m
- Depth
- ~15–37 m
- Wreck length
- ~110 m
Before the Faroud belonged to the sea.
Before becoming one of Malta's best-known wreck dives, the Um El Faroud was a working oil tanker with a tragic final chapter above the surface.
The Seafalcon
Built in Middlesbrough as the Seafalcon, the tanker was later acquired by Libya, renamed Um El Faroud and used to carry refined fuel between Libya and Italy.
The explosion
On 3 February, flammable vapour ignited during maintenance in Dock No. 3 at Malta Drydocks. The explosion caused extensive structural damage.
The scuttling
After around three years in the dockyard, the vessel was towed from Grand Harbour and deliberately scuttled off Wied iż-Żurrieq as an artificial reef and dive site.
The split
Severe winter storms broke the wreck across its weakened central section. The bow and stern now sit separated and slightly offset.
One ship. Three very different dives.
The Faroud rests upright on sand. Its shallowest structures begin around 15–18 metres, the main deck sits near 25 metres and the deepest sections reach roughly 36–37 metres.
Height and machinery
The bridge, superstructure, side corridors and accommodation areas dominate this section. Drop towards the seabed and the propeller appears, with the ship towering above it.
The ship torn open
Jagged edges expose the vessel's internal construction while remaining open to the water. The bow and heavier stern no longer align, making the break even more dramatic from a distance.
The full silhouette
Railings, winches and open deck space lead towards the pointed bow. Moving away from the hull reveals the ship's outline and the scale of the distance travelled.
An artificial reef
Marine growth now covers the exposed metal while fish use the railings, corridors and machinery as shelter. Sightings change from dive to dive.
Choose one objective before entering the water.
Trying to see the entire wreck in one dive is neither realistic nor particularly rewarding. Pick one objective, agree the limits and leave something for the next descent.
Approach
The shore-to-wreck journey before the route itself begins.
- Enter at Wied iż-Żurrieq and begin the ~150 m journey towards the wreck, completing part of the approach at the surface or underwater according to the team's plan and conditions.
- Look for the full-sized replica brass diving helmet resting in the seagrass. ATLAM placed it here on 3 July 2005 for the club's 50th anniversary.
Stern + propeller
The best route for appreciating the wreck's height.
- The funnel or upper superstructure may be the first section to appear. Continue around the bridge, side corridors and stern.
- Remain around the upper structures for a profile largely between 18 and 28 metres, or descend towards the rudder and propeller if the agreed depth, gas and no-decompression limits permit.
- Move towards the central split and begin the return before the wreck's size tempts the team beyond the planned turnaround point.
Bow + central split
The route for dramatic outlines and the ship's torn centre.
- Approach the wreck with the middle and forward sections as the agreed objective rather than attempting a full circuit.
- Pass through or around the open central break and continue across the deck towards the bow, monitoring current, gas and no-decompression time.
- Move away from the bow and look back at the full outline of the ship. A diver alongside it provides the clearest sense of scale.
- Return along the opposite side of the hull, using the split as an earlier turnaround point if the team's limits make the bow impractical.
Penetration plan
A separate wreck dive, not an addition to a general tour.
- Agree a specific internal route, entry, exit, turnaround pressure and maximum depth before the dive.
- Use appropriate wreck training, line procedures, equipment and gas planning for the entire team, including suitable redundancy where required.
- Maintain awareness of darkness, silt, entanglement, restricted movement and disorientation throughout the overhead environment.
- Abort the penetration if any diver, equipment item or environmental condition falls outside the original plan.
The Faroud, frame by frame.
Photographs and portrait footage from different descents, from the first silhouette in the blue to the details scattered across the wreck.
Photographs
Four frames
