The University of Malta participated in this project through the Institute for Sustainable Energy. Our role was to help offset the energy use by the bubble barrier through renewable energy. We did this by designing and installing a PV system on one of the partner's building roof (right across from Bubble Barrier) and a floating platform with panels next to the Barrier itself. The Academics involved in the project were Prof. Luciano Mule'Stagno and Dr Ing. Marija Demicoli and they were assisted by RSO Daniele Zingariello.

The recently concluded MAELSTROM H2020 Project (Smart technology for MArinE Litter SusTainable RemOval and Management) was recently featured on the EuroNews program "Ocean".

MAELSTROM identifies marine litter accumulation hotspots and assesses its impacts on the ecosystems in two demo sites: the Ave River in Portugal and the Venice coastal area in Italy. In those sites, two marine litter removal technologies will be implemented: a Bubble Barrier in the Ave River to prevent the litter to reach the ocean and a Robotic Seabed Cleaning Platform in the Venice coastal area, to remove litter directly from the seabed.

After the removal, dedicated repeated surveys were carried out to evaluate the efficiency of the removal technologies as well as to estimate the long-term effects on the ecosystems.

The results were very encouraging and there is a plan for the Municipality of Vila do Conde to take over the Bubble Barrier and continue operating it.