‘Our sea is not for sale’: Petition against floating ‘Noma Island’ beach club in Maltese waters

A petition calling for the immediate suspension of the floating beach club ‘Noma Island’ has been launched by Valletta residents and activist Billy J. McBee, raising concerns about environmental impacts, noise disturbance and what it describes as a “semi-permanent occupation of public maritime space.

A petition titled “Save Our Sea – Stop the Floating Island Threat to Malta’s Commons” was submitted to Parliament by McBee, urging authorities to suspend the operations of the floating installation ‘Noma Island,’ currently moored adjacent to the Valletta Cruise Port.

The petition opened for signatures on 3 March 2026 and will remain open until 3 May 2026.

In the petition, the signatories, described as residents, parents, fishermen, divers and citizens who value Malta’s sea, expressed “serious concern regarding the presence of a large commercial platform known as ‘Noma Island’.”

According to the petition, the installation represents a “semi-permanent occupation of public maritime space” and raises concerns about potential impacts on the marine environment, public tranquillity, and the fundamental principle that the sea remains a shared common good.

It warned of a “real risk of damage to fragile ecosystems,” including protected Posidonia Oceanica meadows, as well as possible pollution from waste, fuel and intensified maritime activity.

“The proposed operation is also said to risk causing noise pollution and significant disturbance to residents and wildlife,” the petition said.

The petition further said that no adequate environmental assessment has been presented or published and said that there is a lack of transparency regarding permits, operators and applicable regulatory conditions.

According to the petition, this raises concerns about potential non-compliance with environmental and planning laws, as well as the State’s obligations under Article 9 of the Constitution of Malta, which requires the safeguarding of the environment and national heritage.

The petition also warned that the case could create a “dangerous administrative precedent” which may undermine regulatory control over the use of Malta’s territorial waters.

Among the measures requested, the petition calls on the MPs to order the immediate suspension of all operations related to the “Noma Island” installation pending full legal and environmental compliance.

It also called for full public disclosure of all permits, licenses, approvals and the identities of all operators and beneficiaries involved, as well as the carrying out and publication of independent Environmental and Noise Impact Assessments, including surveys of the seabed and Posidonia Oceanica meadows.

In addition, the petition requested that a transparent and properly notified public consultation process be conducted prior to any authorisation being granted.

The document further called on authorities to safeguard Malta’s marine environment and public domain by enforcing all applicable national and European Union laws, while ensuring that no precedent is created which could undermine the protection of Malta’s territorial waters as a common good.

The petition said that Malta’s seas and coastline form part of the national heritage and public domain, to be safeguarded for present and future generations.

“The proposed development raises serious concerns of environmental harm, loss of public amenity, and lack of transparency,” the petition said, adding that Malta’s sea is “not for sale.”

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