Alliance Cruises claims discrimination

The operators of Alliance Cruises yesterday lashed out at the Malta Environment and Planning Authority, insisting they had been discriminated against when MEPA took the decision to demolish the company's quay on Comino.

On Friday a contractor commissioned by MEPA, and assisted by Administrative Law Enforcement members, demolished three berths which had been built illegally and used by Alliance Cruises to berth its pleasure boats.

Alliance Cruises yesterday insisted that the law should apply to all those who, it claimed, had identical "illegal structures" on Comino.

"At the moment there are about 25 landing spaces at the Blue Lagoon. These are all illegal structures which are not covered by any development permits issued by MEPA," Alliance Cruises director James Pace said.

"This discriminatory action by MEPA has now created an unlevel playing field in the cruise operation industry, favouring other cruise operators in the process," he insisted.

However, MEPA Development Services assistant director Stephen Farrugia said the Alliance Cruises quay had been singled out was because the company's employees were caught red-handed building the quay and asked to stop, and the order was ignored.

MEPA had then issued a stop and enforcement notice in October but works continued, so it had demolished the illegal structures according to procedures established by law.

"We are not trying to crucify anybody. If there are other illegal structures along Comino we will take action. At this point in time we only had an enforcement notice on those specific quays," he said.

Mr Farrugia said that at the moment they were in the process of reviewing the entire situation of quays to ascertain which ones were illegal or not.

"Quays built prior to 1967 will be deemed as having a permit, as well as those built before 1988. The case of Alliance Cruises was clear-cut because we saw them build the quay," he said.

"Once we have compiled all the reliable information on the situation of the other quays on Comino then we will surely take action," Mr Farrugia insisted.

However, Mr Pace claimed that MEPA's decision to demolish its quay was premature since the company's application to upgrade the tourist landing platform was still under reconsideration.

In response to this, Mr Farrugia said that MEPA acted within the law. Although the application was still under reconsideration it could still demolish the quay because the company had continued to use it, breaching the stop and enforcement notice in the process.

Mr Pace said the destruction of its quay was damaging and insensitive to the tourism industry, especially since during these summer months Alliance Cruises handled about 1,500 passengers a week.

Alliance Cruises was still continuing with its trips to Comino, but disembarking was now dangerous for its passengers.

"We are holding the competent authorities responsible for all the damages that Alliance Cruises may sustain," Mr Pace said.