A larger buoy for cruise liners in Xlendi will not be ready until halfway through 2018, Gozo Minister Anton Refalo said.

He was responding to a Parliamentary Question by PN MP Chris Said. The minister said that the tender commitment form has been drafted, and the tender is being vetted.

The minister tabled some information in Parliament, which shows that the whole project will cost a total of €1.56 million. Of this amount, €190,250 will be spent on studies, technical surveys and tests, €105,400 will be spent on professional services and project supervision, €1,145,000 will be spent on manufacturing and installation of the buoy, and €120,000 will be spent on the maintenance contract and on a five-year certification.

The ships would use their own tenders to ferry passengers to and from Xlendi bay.  While the project was mentioned in previous budgets, such as that for 2016, it is still over a year away from completion.

In the 2016 budget, the following can be read: “A cruise liner buoy in Xlendi: Studies are being carried out jointly by the Ministry for Transport and Infrastructure and the Ministry for Gozo regarding a new buoy which is needed to replace the existing one in Xlendi. These studies are at an advanced stage and include careful consideration of the preservation of the natural habitat and archaeological remains on the sea bed.”