Investment, Industry and IT Minister Austin Gatt last Tuesday had only words of praise for the way things are developing at the Malta Shipyards.

He visited the yards to celebrate, along with the workers, a total of 500,000 man-hours without injury, a major feat in such a tough industry.

One important statement made by the minister was that the certificate for safety standards that had been given did not belong to the company or to the building, but to all the workers. “The achievement you have made is testament to the high safety standards that are employed at Malta’s shipyards. It shows your commitment and the change of attitude from a few years ago.”

The fact that the number of man-hours lost because of accidents and injuries have been drastically brought down over the past years is a clear indication that no effort was spared to ensure that safety precautions were upgraded and that the employees themselves were following health and safety instructions to the letter.

As the minister pointed out, clients making enquiries about the Malta Shipyards specifically ask about safety measures that are taken and if their demands are not met, then potential work is lost. In such a highly-competitive market, Malta Shipyards cannot afford to lose work because of poor safety standards, and therefore improving standards was necessary. It has helped the yards to win contracts that would otherwise have gone elsewhere.

The Shipyards have also been able to move into other business that is not strictly related to ship-repair. Right now, for example, the project under way involves the building of a power generation barge. The 95-metre vessel will generate a total of 120 mega Watts, which is roughly the equivalent of one third of Malta’s electricity demands.

Apart from the upgraded safety standards, what was also important for Malta Shipyards to make steps forward, was the fact that the workers’ mentality has changed for the better, Dr Gatt pointed out. He said that the employees there could themselves serve as an example to other Maltese employees.

What was equally important is that although the shipyards are still running at a loss, the deficit has continued to be brought down. The yards will still lose Lm8.7 million in the current financial year, but this is within the targets that were set when the reform in the dockyard industry took place a few years ago.

The restructuring has helped the industry to control its losses over the past years, with Dr Gatt saying that “we are in the best position we have been in for the past four years”. Again, this means that the reform that took place has had its desired results and that the dockyard could be on its way to much better times.

It is hoped that since the reforms were introduced, the momentum that picked up will continue in future. Of course, the battle will not be easy. Malta Shipyards must persist in its struggle to reach its targets, but once there is commitment and dedication, especially on the part of the workers, success will be achieved.

Importantly, the yards must keep abreast with developments in the industry and act accordingly. Technology improves every day and the yards must always be on the lookout for new methods that can make work easier and faster, and possibly cheaper too.

Yet, judging by what Dr Gatt said last Tuesday, the yards’ greatest asset is its workers. “Just look at what you have built and look at the standard that you have set in safety – it speaks for itself. You are capable and you build excellent products that are in demand,” he told them.