During celebrations held at the Hilton to mark the first anniversary of the Catania-Malta service, Onorato Armatori and SMS Group announced future growth plans, including new ships and increased routes to be introduced during 2018 with the aim of improving services offered to both prospective and existing customers.

Alessandro Onorato announced that Onorato Armatori will be incrementing the size of its fleet by introducing three new cargo ships, thus intensifying its presence within the Maltese market. It is envisaged that the first ship will be introduced in the first quarter of 2018 and will provide an additional 3,500 linear metres of capacity for the benefit of the international freight forwarding industry.

Concurrently, two new vessels due to be delivered to Onorato Armatori in late 2018 will increment the overall capacity of the line by 8,400 linear metres. The vessels will be servicing both the Sicilian and Maltese markets which have gained increased strategic relevance during the last year.

Simon Mifsud, on behalf of SMS Group, thanked all those clients who placed their trust in what was a new project in 2017. Their continued support, loyalty and collaboration have served as a prime motivator to increase service options in this highly-competitive market. He further indicated that, in order to complement the announced growth in operations, the Ferry Team at SMS will be developed further to ensure that quality service levels will remain high, customer centric solutions will continue to be offered, client support will remain consistent and long-term relationships with each client will be preserved and enhanced.

During the ceremony, both Onorato Armatori and SMS Group thanked one another for establishing such a strong bond between the respective families which has made these plans a reality – a reality through which it is hoped the local transport and logistics sectors will reap great benefit.

Mifsud and Onorato cutting the anniversary cake.