Transport Minister Joe Mizzi appeared nearly an hour late for a scheduled press conference this morning despite apparently finding a novel way to beat the traffic – gliding across the Grand Harbour on a pilot boat.

The minister’s delayed arrival by sea at Boilers' Wharf came amidst widespread frustration over traffic problems intensified by the opening of schools last week.

Mr Mizzi had announced that he would address a press conference following a tour of a new European Maritime Safety Agency (EMSA) oil recovery vessel.

But after a further hour touring the ship, the minister made a dash for his car without giving any comments or taking questions from journalists, many of them seeking his views on the traffic situation.

It was left to EMSA officials to talk journalists through the plans for the new vessel, which is registered and stationed in Malta and can be called on by member states to respond to oil spills too large for their own recovery systems to handle.

The ship, which will be responsible for the central Mediterranean region, is part of a network of 17 similar vessels, six of them in the Mediterranean alone, which are equipped to sail within 24 hours of an incident. The entire network can be called on at once in the event of a major spill.

EMSA officials explained that all the vessels had been chartered, with oil recovery capabilities fitted on top of the existing commercial activities, to maximise the cost-effectiveness of the operations.