Small ships register continues to grow

A total of 467 new registrations on the Small Ships Register were handled by Transport Malta in the first eight months of this year, Transport Minister Austin Gatt said yesterday.

Opening the 4th Annual HSBC Premiere Valletta Boat Show at Dock 1 yesterday evening, the minister said that the register had continued to register growth and year after year the number of pleasure yachts registered was increasing by seven per cent and the gross tonnage by 20 per cent, whereas the commercial yachts, by number increased by 35 per cent and the gross tonnage increased by 14 per cent.

The minister said that Transport Malta was also actively promoting the Malta Flag to superyacht owners and representatives currently with a good presence at one of the most prestigious events, namely the Monaco Yacht Show.

On the Dock 1 project, he said this was part of the vision that the government had for Grand Harbour.

The government had already secured EU funding for landscaping works to be carried out in this area. This amounted to about €7.5 million, from a total of €9.3 million of an EU funded project – ERDF 104 – Stronger Cottonera Communities which is an integrated project also involving the council, the housing department and Agenzija Sapport.

The landscaping project spans from Xatt ir-Risq to Macina and is divided in two phases - phase 1 – landscaping from Xatt ir-Risq to the Bormla Regatta Club (€1.8 million) and phase 2 - landscaping from Bormla Regatta Club to Macina (€5.7 million).

The tender for Phase 1 has been awarded but is currently under appeal at the DOC. It is envisaged that works on this phase start by end October of this year.

The tenders for Phase 2 amounting to €4.9 million are currently under adjudication, the remaining €0.8 million will be issued shortly.

The projects entail the rehabilitation of the waterfront from Xatt ir-Risq to the Macina area.

They are essentially landscaping projects with the main objective of creating a quality space for the enjoyment of the local communities and visitors alike. The result is expected to be a quality recreational and leisure space, right in the heart of Cottonera with easy access from the three Cities, and towns nearby.

The minister said that the project would also upgrade the tourist product in Cottonera, with all the financial spin offs to the local communities that this will bring.

The Dock 1 project, Dr Gatt said, had to be considered in the multitude of projects planned for the Grand Harbour.