It is a fact so obvious that (you’d like to think) even a Maltese politician could see it: the ferries are fast approaching their best-before date and will need replacing (or rebuilding). Everybody – even people who never cross the channel – knows this.

It, thus, seems astonishing that a start has not been made already. This has nothing to do with the tunnel argument.

Tunnel, or no tunnel, we will still need ferries. And, in any case, nobody believes that a tunnel could be built before the ferries reach pensionable age. A new ferry (or two) could be bought immediately. Or it/they could be built in Malta, where there used to be the skills to do it and where it would increase employment. We could also buy one and build one (or two).

A larger fleet would immediately help increase the frequency of the service and also provide better cover when individual ships go in for servicing, as they regularly need to do. (Or when there is a bomb threat, which seems to annoy Gozitan businessmen quite a bit.)

There is not much wrong with the current design, although, for a redesign, the car lanes might be a bit wider and the ramps more reliable.

And then the current fleet can be totally refurbished. In fact, it could be totally refreshed and renewed. When the supersonic airliner Concorde was withdrawn from service there was not a single component in any of the aircraft that was in theoriginal build.

So why the delay?

We are constantly being told how well off this country is. Why is it not spending money on the ferries. Right now.

My only fear is that, now that a foreigner has suggested it, it won’t happen... But I have waited long enough without hearing a native make anything but criticism of the service, sometimes including comments on the age of the fleet. Perhaps they all think it is too obvious and, therefore, unnecessary.