Yacht marinas to be privatised this year

The government will privatise yacht marinas administered by the Malta Maritime Authority by the end of this year, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said today. “The scope is to foster a competitive yacht marina sector with the participation of various...

The government will privatise yacht marinas administered by the Malta Maritime Authority by the end of this year, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said today.

“The scope is to foster a competitive yacht marina sector with the participation of various market players and to upgrade the service level that boat owners receive through investment and modernisation of such yacht marina facilities,” the minister said at the launch of the HSBC Valletta Boat Show 2008.

He said the government would be adopting a holistic approach, assessing the possibilities of meeting the future demand for berthing space by developing 1,000 new berthing spaces.

It intended to heavily involve the private sector in this process, with the aim of making Malta a 'yachting experience'.

Dr Gatt also reiterated the government's commitment to rehabilitate derelict areas of Grand Harbour, saying it wanted to transform them into hubs for culture, tourism and commercial activities as well as support services for the maritime industry.

The HSBC Valletta Boat Show 2008 will be held later this year at Flagstone Wharf in Marsa.

The MMA currently administers the yacht marinas in Pieta' and Mgarr, Gozo.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:

You can unsubscribe at any time by clicking the link in the footer of our emails. We use Mailchimp as our marketing platform. By subscribing, you acknowledge that your information will be transferred to Mailchimp for processing.