Owners of yachts which berth at Ta' Xbiex Yacht Marina have presented a petition before the European Court of Human Rights in the wake of a judgement by the Constitutional Court.

The judgement overturned a previous judgement that had safeguarded the indefinite right of the members of the members of the Berths Holders' Association to berth at Ta' Xbiex subject to reasonable berthing fees charged by the Malta Transport Authority.

The Berth Holders Association said that originally, many of its members up to 25 years ago were given the right to berth which right perpetuated itself indefinitely.  Then in 2011 the Malta Transport Authority informed them that it was seeking a new contract with new conditions, binding for a year and renewable.

The association also complained that Ta’ Xbiex Yacht Marina is in a sorry state. It said there are frequent thefts from yachts because of a lack of security in the area.  There was also a problem of illegal parking on the side of the marina where the yachts are berthed and the facilities for the provision of water and electricity supplies was old and abandoned. The facilities were accessible to the public and thus a danger and a source of water theft.