The Chamber of Commerce, Enterprise and Industry is engaged in what can only be described as a frontal attack on the ferry service provided by Virtu Ferries between Malta and Sicily, which has opened the single market to the Maltese public, presumably with a view to protecting a section of its members.

In a nutshell, the Chamber is engaging in blatant untruths, half truths and misinformation given to the Parliamentary Committee for Economic and Financial Affairs, no less, as well as ministries, government entities and the media. A few examples will suffice.

David Curmi, president of the Chamber, is on record as stating that Virtu Ferries does not forward a manifest to the authorities, as it is obliged to do by law for every voyage. This is blatantly untrue.

A manifest, with details, not just ‘general cargo’, as stated by Curmi, is forwarded to all the competent authorities in both Malta and Sicily.

The term general cargo is used when appropriate. This term, commonly used in the industry, or its equivalent, ‘miscellaneous’ or ‘consolidated shipments’, is also used by our competitor whose side Curmi seems to have favoured.

Virtu, although members of the same Chamber, were never approached for information.

The only evidence Curmi provides for this serious allegation, when pressed, is: “That is what our members feel.”

This is an inadequate answer that is not worthy of the Chamber, although it may well be a measure of the depth of the investigation Curmi had undertaken before expressing himself on behalf of the Chamber.

The service provided by Virtu has opened opportunities for enterprising individuals to become a new breed of importers. The Chamber is not protecting its members; it is protecting the import section of its members and encouraging bygone practices.

Virtu Ferries have given the Maltese public a wider choice

The Chamber refers to Virtu clients, entrepreneurs who are benefiting from our service and importing an ever-increasing range of products from the single market as “cowboys”, “illicit traders”, “illegal traders” and “fly by night”. As far as the Chamber is concerned, these are not importers, probably because they did not inherit an import company.

Public name calling is the pits. And, would you believe it, the Chamber’s expressed aim, as stated before the Parliamentary Committee and in the media, is no not to protect the interest of its members primarily but to protect the Maltese consumer and assist the government to collect taxes.

A laudable metamorphosis or a simplistic public stunt.

In the absence of Maltese marines, who is going to believe them? Blatant untruth, just being banal or a smokescreen for the removal of eco tax?

Joe Bugeja was a member of the Chamber’s delegation that addressed the Parliamentary Committee. He was introduced as a “stakeholder” and an “expert”. A stakeholder he certainly is; he is none other than the general manager of Virtu’s only competitor on the Malta-Sicily route. He must have forgotten to mention this conflict of interest to the Parliamentary Committee. Judging by his presentation, that lapsus may be forgiven; his memory may have been playing tricks on him or he just got carried away.

Bugeja states, as an example of lack of a level playing field, that his company provides a bill of lading and Virtu does not. Is it possible that expert Bugeja does not know that accompanied cargo is not consigned to the carrier and, consequently, no bill of lading need be signed?

It may be that his past employment implanted a monopolistic mindset, seeking to increase his company’s current 85 per cent share to gaining control of all cargo disembarking in Grand Harbour.

Virtu have eliminated the geographic divide and effectively made Malta part of the single market where the Maltese consumer can and does benefit from economies of scale. We have given the Maltese public a wider choice; take it or leave it is no longer part of the equation.

Is the Chamber trying to reverse this by portraying the service offered by Virtu as some sort of illegality? Virtu operates an authorised regular shipping service under EU regulations. The procedures followed are no different to those of other authorised shipping lines in the EU.

The attempt by Kevin Borg, the Chamber’s director general, to alarm the public was nothing more than an admission of his concern that the preferred form of transport for fresh agricultural and dairy products and perishable goods is the service provided by Virtu.

Gino Cutajar does not appear to know that all cargo travelling on EU roads has to be covered by fiscal documentation. His claim that no such documentation is carried when disembarking from the catamaran is, to put it simply, banal.

As far as a level playing field is concerned, unlike our competitors, who are supported by the Chamber’s leadership, Virtu do not benefit from any subsidies.

Virtu Ferries has filed a protest in the civil courts, where all the blatant untruths, half truths and misinformation presented by the Chamber are recorded and rebutted.

The judicial protest is available at www.virtuferries.com in the news section.

Henri Saliba is managing director of Virtu Ferries Ltd.