More yacht marinas for Malta?
Off the bow of a yacht ...
One of the plagues of the Maltese yachting industry has for years been the lack of available berthing space – whether in the form of marinas or moorings. The yachting industry has frequently called out for more facilities to be available if the Maltese industry is to attract more yacht registrations to Malta, and more foreign flagged yachts to visit these islands.
Recently the responsible Minister has announced that he wishes to address the matter, by setting up of up to 21 new yacht marinas with 4,800 new berths.
The yachting industry has heralded this announcement with caution. While it is an opportunity to generate income for this country at this economically difficult period, many have justified concerns on whether this initiative will lead to the quality of yachting services that users of marinas have a right to expect. Demand currently exceeds supply, many complain that they pay very high rates for the quality of service they receive. It is wondered whether this situation is set to improve with the availability of a greater number of berths?
The conditions under which these concessions are given to the developers need to include provisions to protect the users of these marinas. A special consideration should be given to local small yacht owners that today are finding it difficult to get a fair deal from the operators of the existing marinas. High fees and poor service will kill in the bud the potential of this industry to flourish.
Furthermore, the attitude ‘if they have a yacht, then they can afford exorbitant rates’ is doing no good to the industry, especially local yacht owners with a smaller budget, often leaving them in the lurch in terms of berthing space.
Environmental considerations are also important. Some of the sites proposed for the marinas are near popular beaches where bathers usually swim in the vicinity of moored boats. The ecological balance that exists in such places must be disturbed as little as possible because the coast line is very small and, yet, it is such a valuable asset for the tourism industry.
Image of boats berthing
This exercise should serve as an opportunity to eliminate the present shortage of mooring and berthing facilities, thereby attracting more yachts to the island and, at the same time, provide local boat owners with decent yachting facilities. It should also serve to attract investment in the south of Malta that for many years has not seen so much investment in tourism related projects. Even if some of the proposed marina sites prove not to be commercially viable, the remaining ones should attract enough interest to see much needed capital investment start flowing again in the infrastructure.
If your vessel is registered in Malta, you may qualify for certain discounts on the use of berthing facilities. If you plan to visit this island often with your yacht, this is an added benefit that comes with the Maltese Flag. For more information contact our office.
For the full press release, go to: http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20090526/opinion/editorial
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