Maritime Authority cracks down on berthing fees defaulters

The Malta Maritime Authority yesterday seized two yachts at the Yacht Marina pending legal action, after its warnings to yacht owners to settle outstanding dues for their berths were ignored.

The MMA said it would seek to recover all monies due through appropriate legal action.

In an operation that lasted over two hours, MMA staff, escorted by an AFM patrol boat, released the two seized yachts from their moorings and towed them to Grand Harbour where they were lifted onto hard standing and placed under custody at Laboratory Wharf.

Earlier this year, the authority had signalled its intention to step up its actions against boat owners who failed to pay their berthing fees.

In a statement the authority said it intended to pursue all legal steps, including the forced sale of the two yachts, in order to ensure that all due payments were settled.

MMA reiterated that similar actions would be taken against any other defaulters in future. It did not give any details about the yachts' owners.

The MMA said it regretted having to resort to such action but its repeated requests to the owners of the two yachts to pay their berthing fees had gone unheeded.

According to the Yachting Centres Regulations, berthing fees must be paid six months in advance.

Berthing fees at the MMA marinas compare very favourably with those charged by private marinas and the authority had a long waiting list of applicants, the MMA said.

A spokesman for the MMA would not divulge the amounts due to the authority as berthing fees.

He said the issue was that fees must be paid promptly and that no distinction should be made between a privately-run marina and one owned by the government.

"These yachts were occupying a berth that could be allocated to other yachts on the waiting list."

Owners were also warned that failure to settle their dues could lead to eviction from the marina.

Interviewed by The Times some months ago, MMA chairman Marc Bonello said the MMA had a waiting list of over 300 boat owners and that some berth holders were up to three years behind in payment, despite the fact that fees were due six months in advance.

The number of boat owners who appeared not to value their berths and were consistently defaulting on payments, was "surprisingly large", Mr Bonello had stated.

The MMA had tried every means to get these berth holders to regularise their position, sending out reminders and ensuring that yacht owners understood how serious it was to default on payment, but this had not improved the situation.

The authority had the power to engage a contractor to remove a boat from a berth, and any costs to do so must be footed by the owners, Mr Bonello had stated.

Berthing rates vary according to the length of a boat, but on average, they cost about Lm500 per annum.

The three MMA marinas in Msida, Pietà and Mgarr provide a total of around 1,000 berths.