Gozo Channel said this morning that it welcomed the setting up of an inquiry into the allegations of safety violations made last week by one of its captains, and said the inquiry would give it the opportunity to show that the allegations were completely untrue.

The ferry company this morning filed a reaction to the judicial protest filed last week by Capt Mario Grech, where he listed his allegations.

The company said the allegations were unfounded and were aimed at harming its officials.

Referring to Capt Grech's claim that he had long been drawing the company's attention to shortcomings, particularly to CEO Capt Fritz Farrugia, the company pointed out that up to December 2008, Capt Grech himself had been chief operating officer and had been responsible for several areas which he had now referred to. Capt Farrugia was only appointed last February and had since introduced several new health and safety procedures which Capt Grech had not done.

It was not true, the company said, that complaints made by Capt Grech to Capt Farrugia were ignored. Capt Farrugia had always acted as required. In any case, the company was regulated by the Malta Maritime Authority and audited by Bureau Veritas, who had consistently given favourable certification.

The company said it was 'absolutely not true' that Capt Grech had been ordered to operate in violation of safety rules and the safety management system.

It was also not true that Capt Grech had been discriminated upon and negatively affected in the assignment of duties. Indeed, it was Capt Grech who failed to attend managerial meetings where operations were discussed. Of 39 Sundays, Capt Grech had been on duty for 23.

Gozo Channel said it was also not true that time was not being allocated for emergency drill training. Such drills were conducted regularly as required by SOLAS rules and they were all logged, as the inquiry would be shown.

It was also not true that a crewman had presented fake certificates and crewmen lacked training.

Turning to Capt Grech's allegations on the presence of legionella in the water tanks, the company said such allegations were alarmist, and Capt Grech failed to say that the company had followed the directions of the Health Department. It was after the proper tests that the systems were declared operational once more.

Turning to allegations on missing safety equipment on board the ferries, the company said there were occasions, on every ship in the world, where such equipment was not all operational, but there were never instances where passengers were put in danger. The CEO had, a long time ago, issued instructions that there could be no compromise on such matters.

Referring to loading procedures on the ferries operating the Sa Maison cargo route, the company said it was up to every captain to ensure that his ferry was loaded in the proper manner, and the management was not present when such trips were made. It was not true that Capt Grech had been stopped from operating such trips, as records would show.

As for the promotion of a captain who Capt Grech has said was not qualified, the company said it was Capt Grech himself who had verbally recommended eventual promotion.

Gozo Channel called on Capt Grech to withdraw his allegations and to desist from such irresponsible behaviour.