Editorial

The announcement by the Infrastructure Minister that the government was proposing the setting up of up to 21 new yacht marinas with 4,800 new berths was welcomed with caution by the yachting community.

Setting up, operating and maintaining so many new marinas could be a good money spinner, especially at a time when economic activity is slowing down at a significant rate. Whether marinas are used by businesses offering yacht charters or owners of small or large boats for their own use, the economic benefit of these facilities is undisputed.

However, many have justified concerns on whether this initiative will lead to the quality of yachting services that users of marinas have a right to expect. At present, partly because demand for berths outstrips supply, many yacht owners complain they are getting a raw deal. Many argue that they pay high rates to use marina facilities that, however, are not well maintained. Mooring and berthing places are scarce and slipways are not fit for purpose. Will the situation improve when the new berths are completed?

The conditions under which these concessions are given to the developers need to include provisions to protect the users of these marinas. A special consideration should be given to local small yacht owners that today are finding it difficult to get a fair deal from the operators of the existing marinas. High fees and poor service will kill in the bud the potential of this industry to flourish.

While one can understand the government's reluctance to invest taxpayers' money in these ventures, it needs to ensure that the marina users' rights to a high-quality service in return for the payment of reasonable fees are safeguarded at all times. This applies to those who use the marinas for commercial purposes, like yacht charter companies and owners of small or large boats who just need a mooring and berthing place for their craft.

Environmental considerations are also important. Some of the sites proposed for the marinas are near popular beaches where bathers usually swim in the vicinity of moored boats.

The ecological balance that exists in such places must be disturbed as little as possible because the coast line is very small and, yet, it is such a valuable asset for the tourism industry.

The assessment of the proposals submitted by those who show interest in developing these marinas should be scored on various important criteria and not limited to money considerations. The protection of the marina users' rights, the preservation of the environment and the long-term commitment of the operators to maintain the marinas to the highest standards should be given more weight than the actual payment they offer for a marina concession.

This exercise should serve as an opportunity to eliminate the present shortage of mooring and berthing facilities, thereby attracting more yachts to the island and, at the same time, provide local boat owners with decent yachting facilities. It should also serve to attract investment in the south of Malta that for many years has not seen so much investment in tourism related projects. Even if some of the proposed marina sites prove not to be commercially viable, the remaining ones should attract enough interest to see much needed capital investment start flowing again in the infrastructure.

As long as the new operators are contractually bound to provide high quality service to the yachting community and to protect the delicate environment of bays, then this initiative could be viewed positively.