A ship master who claimed major safety flaws on the Gozo Channel ferries was suspended on full pay yesterday as the government ordered an inquiry into his allegations.

In a statement, Gozo Channel said it was confident that the allegations were "absolutely unsubstantiated", adding that its operations were fully compliant with the law and proper practices. It said it regretted the unjustified doubts cast upon it and its employees.

Captain Mario Grech was told not to go to work a day after he filed a judicial protest which alleged serious safety shortcomings revolving around lifesaving equipment, emergency training, lack of qualifications of a boatswain and the presence of the potentially deadly Legionella bacteria in the water supply of three ferries.

"I was told not to go to work until further notice," Captain Grech told The Times yesterday, adding that the decision had taken him by surprise.

Although Finance Minister Tonio Fenech asked the company to suspend all disciplinary action until a specially appointed board had concluded its inquiry, Captain Mario Grech will not be in the active duty roster.

"Given the nature of the assertions made by Captain Grech and the manner in which the judicial protest was couched, I comprehend your decision to remove Captain Grech from the active duty roster; however, you are to suspend all disciplinary action until such time as the board of inquiry has concluded its business," Mr Fenech wrote in a letter to Gozo Channel.

He continued that Captain Grech should be retained in his current position, and be in receipt of full basic pay although not in active duty roster.

When contacted, Mr Fenech said that according to the company's board, Captain Grech could not be put on the roster since he had said he could not take responsibility for the ferries because of the claimed shortcomings.

However, the Minister has called on Gozo Channel to grant Captain Grech whistleblower protection until the appointed board finishes its inquiry.

In its statement Gozo Channel also said that it will be filing a counter judicial protest and cooperating with the board of inquiry.

Asked whether the company was going to carry out a safety assessment of its ships, considering Captain Grech's allegations, Gozo Channel chief executive Fritz Farrugia did not want to comment, adding that the company's board had decided not to answer journalists' individual questions but issue press releases.

Contacted yesterday, Captain Grech said he filed the judicial protest because he was "fed up going to work and being pressured to close my eyes".

He was already at work when he received a call to go to head office, where he was told that he was not to go to work until further notice.

"I am obliged to stop a ship if it is not seaworthy," he said.

In his protest he claimed that Legionella was found in the water tanks of three of the company's ferries and the staff was told to cut the water supply and tell passengers that the pumps had malfunctioned.

Answering questions by The Times, a spokesman for Mr Fenech said the ministry, as well as public health authorities and the Malta Maritime Authority, were informed of the Legionella find. "At no point in time was there any risk of contamination to passengers and the instructions given by the public health authority were followed to the letter."

He said water supply to all parts of the vessel was stopped while Gozo Channel went through a three-stage disinfection process, and there were therefore no risks to passengers or crew.

Inhaling Legionella can lead to Legionnaire's disease, a potentially deadly pneumonia. According to statistics from the Disease Surveillance Unit, 36 people fell sick with Legionnaire's disease between 2000 and last May.

According to a spokesman for the Health Parliamentary Secretariat, Legionella, which is transmitted through aerosols, can be a threat to people with a compromised immune system, like the elderly, children or those suffering from respiratory conditions.

He confirmed that the health authorities had been informed of the matter and the necessary investigations were still being carried out.

Captain Grech also claimed that lifesaving equipment on board the ships was not replaced during maintenance, that the ships' captains were not given the means to check whether a crew member was trained on what to do in emergencies and that drills were considered to be of secondary importance. He said he had been assigned a boatswain who had admitted he did not have the necessary qualifications despite being in possession of what he believed to be a forged certificate.

Questioned about Captain Grech's claim that lifesaving equipment was not replaced during maintenance, the Finance Ministry spokesman said both the Malta Maritime Authority and certification body Bureau Veritas were responsible for ensuring that such instances did not take place.

"Audits by Bureau Veritas, which are available at Gozo Channel and the MMA, show that international maritime safety standards are being respected by Gozo Channel."