Juan Ameen
Gozo Channel CEO resigns
Gozo Channel CEO Fritz Farrugia has resigned just eight months into his term.
He did not give a reason for his resignation but insisted it was not connected with the ongoing inquiry into serious charges of safety breaches levelled by Gozo Channel's Senior Master, Mario Grech.
"I was still under probation when I resigned, which means, that legally I don't have to give a reason," he said when contacted.
The government launched the inquiry last month after Captain Grech filed a judicial protest claiming serious flaws regarding lifesaving equipment among others.
Other claims centred around emergency training and the presence of the potentially deadly Legionella bacteria in the water supply of the three ferries.
The company rebutted the claims, saying the inquiry would find that the allegations were "absolutely unsubstantiated", and its operations were fully compliant with the law and proper practices.
Capt. Farrugia was appointed CEO in February on a one-year probationary period. In his resignation letter, Capt. Farrugia specified that he was not leaving because of the inquiry.
Capt. Grech was suspended on full pay until the inquiry is concluded.
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Tonio Bone
Oct 25th 2009, 01:02
@ M.Saliba
I hope you are aware I wrote 'set the rules and conditions'. The private sector does not necessarily mean more expensive if the agreement includes issues such as employment, agreed tariffs, agreed schedules ecc, ecc.
I believe Mr Fritz Farrugia is a maritime captain, but did he have the business acumen to run Gozo Channel? Do you have other suggestions to make this operation finally viable? I understand the 'social' aspect, but this is a commercial enterprise and if it does not stand on it's own two feet it will end up just like Sea Malta. Believe you me!
M Saliba
Oct 24th 2009, 19:27
The takeover of public goods by for-profit business does not lead to greater efficacy and does not save public money men. Then forget the social role of Gozo Channel which means reduced fares to Gozitans who have to travel to Malta to work and study and to the Maltese who travel to Gozo for a break.
Tonio Bone
Oct 24th 2009, 10:55
There is something seriously wrong when a company that enjoys total monopoly in any business and especially one as essential as that provided by Gozo Channel that there is constant turmoil coming from within.
Perhaps our pro-active government should have looked at the bigger picture and offered this service to the private sector before it built and paid for the ferries. I am sure that local businessmen would have gone for it.
The government only needs to set the rules and conditions. It does not have to invest public money in it, run it, or even appoint incompetent musical-chair entourage-connected individuals to run it (and I am not referring to Mr Fritz Farrugia as I don't know him!).
By the way, I do hope that while whistle-blower Capt Grech is enjoying his fully paid forced vacation, the things he brought to the attention of everyone are being attended to before it is too late!