The potential for further growth in the maritime industry will be under the spotlight of a new committee, tasked to draft an integrated maritime strategy by next year.

Parliamentary Secretary Edward Zammit Lewis who chairs this committee yesterday said the aim is to have a sustainable and holistic approach.

He said the blue economy that includes shipping, ferry services, fisheries, aquaculture, tourism, oil exploration and port services is crucial to the economy.

Dr Zammit Lewis said Malta’s maritime register in recent years expanded rapidly and is now the largest in Europe and seventh largest worldwide.

However, he said there is still room for improvement, especially in the decision-making process.

A series of consultation meetings with major stakeholders will be held prior to presenting the policy document for Cabinet’s approval. The committee will also serve as an advisory board for the Parliamentary Secretary.

Asked by Times of Malta about the issue of land reclamation, the parliamentary secretary said this would be discussed at a later stage.

Last month, the Government issued an international call which closes next September.

At this stage all options are being considered including shelving the project if no acceptable proposals are submitted from the private sector.

Sign up to our free newsletters

Get the best updates straight to your inbox:
Please select at least one mailing list.

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.