Gozo Channel has stopped operating its twice weekly cargo ferry service from Sa Maison in Pietà but discussions are under way to find an alternative wharf, according to the company’s chairman.
Joe Cordina said the service, which operated on Tuesdays and Thursdays, was “only used by around four stevedores” and was not financially viable.
“We were not operating the service to profit from it because I can assure you it’s not the case. But we had to stop the service anyway because the Sa Maison terminal has been handed over to a private consortium to turn it into an all-weather yacht marina so we had to move out of there,” he said when contacted. He stressed that discussions were under way to find an alternative to the cargo ferry service and confirmed that the Gozo Ministry had joined the discussions.
“We would like to see these stevedores happy, so we have engaged in discussions to find somewhere else to operate the service,” he said.
Mr Cordina mentioned the possibility of Gozo Channel using Valletta’s Gateway Terminal facilities in Grand Harbour, where there is a marshalling area for the heavy trucks and containers boarding the ship, as well as for hazardous cargo.
However, he does not see this as a viable option due to extra fees that will have to be forked out by the struggling firm. Gozo Channel is trying to turn the loss-making operation back into a profitable one. The annual accounts for 2014 show that Gozo Channel made a loss of €1.3 million in 2013 and a token profit of €42,633 in 2014.
Based on the results of the first nine months of last year, to September, the company is expected to make a profit of around €500,000.
The Sa Maison marina has been handed over to the Marina di Valletta Consortium which was selected by Transport Malta for the development, operation and management of the all-weather marina.
The consortium is made up local and Italian firms, with the lead investor being the Italian marina operator Marina di Varazze srl.
The planned 274-berth marina will be developed on the standards established by Azimut Benetti Group (operated and owned by the same owner of Marina di Varazze srl) across their network of marinas. The marina will be sheltered by the installation of a floating breakwater.
Infrastructural works envisage the construction of a wave-dissipating revetment along the Pietà quay, rendering this marina an all-year berthing facility.
A spokesman for Transport Malta referred any questions related to the Sa Maison ferry service to Gozo Channel but confirmed that works on the marina are expected to start during the first part of this year and it is expected to be fully operational within three years.
Meanwhile, the Nationalist Party has called on Gozo Channel to reconsider its decision to stop the ferry service.