A group of cruise line visitors were participating on a guided excursion that included a prepaid boat ride to the Blue Grotto. The eight American tourists on the excursion were shocked when the boatman turned off his outboard engine in the middle of the sea and threatened that, unless each of them forked out an additional two euros, he would not proceed with the trip.

Being in the middle of the sea, and fearing they would not make it back to shore in time for their cruise departure, the unfortunate tourists had no option but to comply with the boatman’s demands. To add insult to injury, a 22-year-old girl in the group alleged that the same boatman harassed her indecently.

This type of behaviour is not only despicable, but also detrimental to the massive efforts being made by both the private and public sectors to attract cruise liners to include Malta as a port of call. Indeed such an incident, even if isolated, could lead to the cruise company dropping Malta from its itineraries.

FATTA applauds the prompt action taken by the MTA’s Director of Enforcement and now calls on the authorities concerned to prosecute the offender without any delay.