New boat facility means savings for fishermen

Fishermen are likely to net some savings when a €2 million hard-standing facility being built in Marsaxlokk opens early next year.

The government facility, mainly funded by the European Union, will allow fishermen to hoist their boats and leave them for mandatory drying and maintenance. This will save owners of large boats having to go to Sicily as often as twice a year to do the job, at an average cost of Lm1,500 each time.

They will thus save thousands of liri which they could invest in more advanced technologies, National Fisheries Cooperative secretary Ray Bugeja said.

Tony Gruppetta, a senior official at the Fisheries Department, said that not only do fishermen not make any money while their boats are on the hard but they also have to pay someone else to carry out the work.

When the Marsaxlokk hard standing facility becomes operational, fishermen will be able to do the work themselves, he said. The majority of Maltese fishermen operate from Marsaxlokk.

Two cranes - one of which a 260-tonne "monster" - will be installed in the area. The facility will provide 16 spaces for big boats and is expected to be up and running by the beginning of next year.

Speaking during a visit to the site, Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi said the need for this project had been felt for some time mainly by the professional fishermen who use big boats for their work.

EU membership also provided a golden opportunity for Malta to tap EU funds - 75 per cent of the project is being paid by the Union.

Rural Affairs Minister George Pullicino said a management agreement is currently being discussed with local fisheries cooperatives so that they would manage the facility themselves.