The MMA said that the contents of the letter, dated 22 October, were in reply to a letter sent by the MMA on 14 October, highlighting various shortcomings in the company’s contractual obligations.

Shortly after a meeting with Communications Minister Censu Galea yesterday, said the authority, the company went ahead and gave its answers to the 14 October letter to the media.

The MMA said it will answer the claims made by the GWU in the coming days.

However a spokesman said: “The answers given by the GWU imply that all the work and services it provides in ports around Malta are pink and rosy and that is definitely not the case, as anyone involved with port work is sure to know.”

The MMA said that Cargo Handling Ltd was not efficient and were incurring exorbitant expenses – two of the major factors which are not yielding value for money services.

The situation was not only affecting ports, but also the manufacturing sector in a knock-on effect, said the authority.