Malta Freeport in a statement today regretted that it had become a political football instead of being praised for the investment it is making in Malta.

The comment was made in a statement in which the company announced the arrival in Malta of the MSC Sveva, the biggest container ship ever to come to Malta, with a capacity of a staggering 19,000 units.

The freeport said the arrival of this giant vessel was the fruit of its vision and continuous investment to keep up with the growing size of container ships.

They investment included dredging, the latest cranes and manpower training.  

The freeport said it was engaged in tough competition with other facilities to handle this type of vessel, and without ongoing investment, it would lose its competitiveness and, consequently, people would lose their jobs.  

The prime minister recently said he did not wish to see the freeport expand, as this would mean taking up ODZ land around Birzebbuga.

The Opposition leader criticised that comment, and later, in reaction to Labour attacks, said expansion did not necessarily mean taking up ODZ land.

Malta Freeport said it closely followed what was said, so that it could consider its future and the future of its employees. 

It said that it is considering various possibilities of development, including automation, in an effort to stay competitive within the restrictions that had been mentioned.