Possibility of fast ferry still being evaluated - Ian Borg

The possibility of introducing a fast ferry service between Malta and Gozo is still being evaluated, Transport Minister Ian Borg told The Malta Independent.

Connectivity between Malta and Gozo has always been a subject of significance, but while progress has continued with regard to the permanent link between the two islands – on Wednesday Borg revealed that four companies and consortia in

total had submitted offers to build, maintain, and operate the tunnel – there has been no such progress on a fast-ferry service between Malta and Gozo.

So far, two separate calls for the tender have been issued and subsequently cancelled since 2017 – with the latest cancellation happening in September last year, after an Appeals Court ruled in favour of Virtu Ferries – the losing bidder in the tender – who said that the deal was “vitiated”.

Since then, there has been no word on whether a third call for such a fast-ferry service will be issued.

Asked by this newsroom about whether a third call will in fact be issued, Transport Minister Ian Borg said that he agrees that the government must work on every means of connectivity in order to address Gozo’s “double insularity”.

He said that the Transport Minister is responsible for what is called a Public Service Obligation, noting that internal matters related to Gozo Channel and who it wants to work with – which was the source of controversy in previous calls – does not fall under his ministry’s remit.

A Public Service Obligation – otherwise abbreviated as a PSO – is a contract issued by the government which private companies can then apply for. According to EU rules, the government can subsidise the winning bidder for the duration of the contract.

Borg said that the Transport Minister is currently evaluating a new PSO contract for a ferry service between Malta and Gozo, especially as to whether this PSO should have only a conventional ferry service – as Gozo Channel currently runs – or include with it a fast-ferry service as well.

The fast-ferry was first mooted in 2016 by then-Gozo Minister Anton Refalo, who had declared that a PSO would be issued for a fast ferry service between Gozo and the centre of Malta.

The provision of a fast-ferry service between Malta and Gozo was in both the Labour Party’s 2013 and 2017 electoral manifestos.

However, since, travel between Malta and Gozo has only been reinforced by a fourth conventional ferry, which will incidentally be returning to action at the end of this month after it was removed from service as a result of the drop in traffic caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.