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Tug Boat Rozi Dive Site Malta

There are several sunken shipwrecks with easy access from the coast at Ċirkewwa harbour. The steel tugboat Rozi came to rest about 100 metres from the northwest tip of Malta.

This guide contains information about the MV Rozi tug that was sunk in 1992 to create a man made reef for marine creatures and for recreational divers.

History Behind the Scuttling of Rozi Tugboat

Charles Hill & Sons Ltd of Bristol, England built the steel tug Rossmore (original name) and launched it in 1958.

When it was fully intact, the tugging vessel measured thirty three (33) metres long and the beam was 8.5 metres wide.

After working in Liverpool for about a decade, the Rea Towing Company bought it in 1969 and renamed it to Merchant Vessel (MV) Rossgarth.

Mifsud Brothers Ltd acquired the barge in 1972 and Malta Ship Towage Ltd operated it until they sold it in 1981.

The new owners, Tug Malta Ltd, renamed the tugboat again to MV Rozi where it worked for many years in the Grand Harbour of Valletta. She was decommissioned in 1992 and sold once more to Captain Morgan Cruises.

Finally, the scuttling of MV Rozi tug took place on the 10th September 1992. They sank the boat as planned, close to the harbour at Ċirkewwa, and created an artificial reef for underwater tourist tours.

Diving in a bit deeper...

Several decades later, the Rozi tugboat has become one of the most dived shipwrecks in Malta. The superstructure remains mostly intact and vertical, sitting on the sandy floor at a maximum depth around 35 metres (115 feet).

Diving the Rozi Wreck in Malta

Novice divers with entry-level certifications, and certified freedivers, might see the top of the mast around twenty (20) metres from the surface.

The local dive shops will want to see an Advanced Diving qualification, or Advanced Freediver certification, to take divers to the deepest sections of MV Rozi tugboat dive site in Malta.

Having easy access from the shoreline means several other diving destinations are also within reach, such as the Cirkewwa Arch dive site and the P29 Patrol Boat wreck (scuttled in 2007).

Marine Creatures at MV Rozi Tugboat

There are many reasons why creating man made reefs is important, not least for scuba divers to enjoy. Even so, this underwater ruin has become a popular habitat for marine species to settle, including:

Pro Tip: Our Sea Life creatures and animals guide contains a comprehensive list of vertebrates and invertebrates, including fun and interesting facts, pictures, and videos.

Related Information and Help Guides

Note: The short video [1:43 seconds] presented by "Divewise Malta" contains footage of the dive site MV Rozi Tugboat In Cirkewwa, Malta.

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