A briefing session was held at the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure, where the executive board of the Malta Shortsea Promotion Centre (MSPC) met Transport Minister Joe Mizzi and James Piscopo, chairman and CEO of Transport Malta.

MSPC chairman Jason Bongailas, explained that the European Shortsea Network (ESN) which comprises 20 member states, including Malta, is the official entity recognised by Directorate General Move for the promotion of programmes to assist in the movement of cargo in a more efficient and environment friendly manner. Bongailas highlighted that ESN is directly involved in the Ten T programme to which the EU voted €26 billion for the period 2014-2020.

In January 2016, Malta will assume the presidency of this network for a period of 18 months, thereby coincidingwith Malta’s EU presidency in 2017.

Through this presidency Malta’s MSPC will have a dual role, namely that of furthering the interest of the whole network vis-a-vis the Commission in Brussels, and, at the same time, working closely with the government to promote maritime issues related to transport, and that can have an effect on Malta.

The MSPC today comprises 24 members who represent a cross section of the Maltese shipping industry including ship owners, port terminals, ship repair yards, unions, associations and private companies.

Mizzi expressed appreciation to the MSPC’s initiative to meet and brief him on this development, which he described as being an honour for Malta and a privilege of the Maltese shipping industry.

The active participation of Transport Malta in MSPC was a tangible proof of the government’s support to the Maltese shipping industry. He explained that this industry was vital for Malta and the government had a clear vision for its further development and growth.

Piscopo augured success to the MSPC for its period of presidency and confirmed the support of Transport Malta to see such initiatives on a private-public partnership, thrive and prosper.

He welcomed the opportunity to work closely with MSPC so that the presidency period will be turned into an opportunity to showcase Maritime Malta.

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.