CCTV to be introduced, more berths planned

The Malta Maritime Authority is beefing up security at its marina pontoons in a Lm130,000 investment on the installation of closed-circuit television, and Lm50,000 to increase the number of berths, said MMA chairman Marc Bonello.

"The idea is to provide more facilities at the marinas, and the MMA has gone through a soul-searching exercise to determine what it can do to improve them, while making the boat owners responsible for the way they are used," Dr Bonello said.

Other measures to upgrade the marinas include the installation of a Wi-Fi network, in collaboration with Maltacom, offering online facilities on the pontoons; and water and electricity meters to curb wasteful use of utilities.

The measures should be introduced over the next two years, Dr Bonello said.

The security enhancing steps follow complaints by berth holders about inadequate security at the marinas.

The last few months have seen a spate of petty thefts from aboard boats, which are sometimes vandalised, or even stolen, despite the fact that the pontoons have gates and are patrolled, Dr Bonello said.

Regular controls, which are reported electronically, are already carried out by MMA security staff, who are now being "organised to beef up resources".

The installation of CCTV would allow the MMA inspectors to monitor the situation in the marinas more effectively.

Dr Bonello augured that the measure would go down well with the boating community, with whom the authority intended to make contact for a broader consultation.

The MMA also intended to optimise the layouts of the marinas by providing another 25 berths, which would help to cut the waiting list. A tender has already been issued for the extension of pontoons M and N at the Msida marina, and Malta Environment and Planning Authority permits were being awaited for the works to start.

The authority was also in talks with Maltacom to install the Wi-Fi network - a wireless communication system - in marinas to be able to access online services.

"Today, boat owners, particularly foreigners, require these facilities, which are available in yacht marinas overseas," Dr Bonello said.

The MMA plans to draft a "proper" and formal berthing agreement for boat owners, specifying their rights and obligations.

They know what the current practices are, but these need to be documented and audited, Dr Bonello said.

"One of the biggest headaches is that many boats do not have septic tanks and some flush out sewage in the marinas.

"It is unfair that boat owners, who are paying fees for a service, have to suffer inconveniences due to the irresponsible actions of others.

"Eventually, yacht marinas would have to adopt rules that also apply to ports as regards the collection of refuse and waste."

The MMA would, in time, be installing in marinas onshore facilities for the disposal and treatment of waste to avoid discharge at sea. It is in the process of implementing these requirements, which are now mandatory, in the ports.

Dr Bonello said the authority's primary role was not the management of marinas - a service it embarked on in the early 1990s when the private sector was not interested in investing.

"The logical next step would be to privatise the marinas," said Dr Bonello.

The MMA's role would then be to promote Malta as an international yachting centre as it has done in the sectors of cruise lining, bunkering and ship registration.

The idea is for the authority to withdraw from its current operational activities and focus more on the regulatory aspect, Dr Bonello said.