From 'shell of shells' to damp squib: petard always had a high chance of failure

There was no more than a 50 per cent chance that the “shell of shells” – the largest petard ever manufactured in Malta – would be successful, according to fireworks enthusiasts.

The petard of record-breaking size failed to light up the heavens on Friday night, to the dismay of thousands who had driven to the outskirts of Żurrieq to watch the anticipated spectacle.

Instead, the firework appeared to go off just as it was exiting its base on a barge some three kilometres off the coast of Wied iż-Żurrieq at around 10pm, falling far short of the potential display.

“There was always going to be a high risk that it wouldn’t work,” said one enthusiast connected with the event.

“In any fireworks display, you get many unexploded petards falling to the ground.”

The fact that the barge could be rocked by the waves and that the petard was being let off from a fully exposed tube, rather than one buried in the ground, may have added to the risk of failure, the man explained.

Knowing this would probably not have eased the disappointment felt by the members of the public who arrived in droves expecting to be awed. People could be spotted all the way from Ħal Far along the coast of...